KASL Book One: Lost But Found V2
by bibliophile030
Summary: New title suggestions welcomed! Note: not too many big differences between this and the old version, but readers wanted to keep the other version up. Garp has a bad habit about adopting/taking care of kids with dangerous heritages. Before he met Ace and Sabo, Luffy had another big brother. Welcome old and new readers to the story of the KASL brothers.
1. Prologue

Prologue

A/N [06/09/18]: So, my plans for the whole rewrite of the KASL series is to first to go through the first book five chapters at a time and basically overwrite my previous version since I'm not changing too many things, plot-wise. Mostly rethinking Kit's devil fruit powers and fixing some plot holes and whatnot mistakes and wordings. Might consider extending some scenes, too. Once I finish the first book, the second story will be entirely reworked and posted under a new title, I think. I'll try to work on the KASL stories as much as I can, but think of this whole thing as a long-term project.

 _Unknown Island, Grand Line (Paradise)_

"Little one, do not cry for me. Wipe away those tears. My end may near, but yours has just begun," whispered the woman lying on the cot. Her hair hung like a haggard black mane, and once tanned skin now shone sallow and unhealthy. Her breathing wore ragged, and the hand that lifted to stroke the crying child hovering over her was frail and bony.

"Live free and proud. I have already made arrangements, my precious son. An old friend will take you away to a better place. I am sorry I could not provide for you properly. Remember, your father may not be able to be there for you in person, but he will always be there on the sidelines. Be strong and true to yourself, Sol D. Silvers Kitsune. You will always be my little fox kit…" The light fled from the woman's topaz eyes. The child beside her cried out denials of her death.

In the doorway, an old vice-admiral bowed his head in respect for the woman that has led a proud and loving life to the end. Slowly he walked over to the eight-year-old and gathered the sobbing child in his arms.

"Come, now, lad. Your mother wouldn't want you to be so sad. Hey, you know, I have a grandson whom you might like. He about three, and I'm sure you might enjoy having a little brother," murmured the marine, unusually soft-spoken, if a bit gruff, but the child's sobs have already gave away to the exhaustion of sleep.

Garp sighed and hoped this was the worse of it; it was a long trip back to East Blue, after all, and it would be hard to secretly transport the child of such infamous lineage as the little boy in his arms if said boy sobbed the whole way there.

Not that the vice-admiral blamed the child, he remembered shedding more than a few tears at his own parents' funeral. Unfortunately, the child's mother would probably not get much more than a grave hidden away on this island, far from any point of civilization for several hundreds of kilometers around.

Garp made a mental note to get word to that annoying former second mate of Rogers of the mother's death.

Knowing the secretive nature of Kitsune's mother (and her subsequent infamy), Garp would also have to drop off an eternal log pose to the retired pirate, probably personally given the nature of the secret.

On more than one occasion, Garp felt the need to bang his head against the wall and ask why infamous criminals kept thinking he was the right person to raise their kids. Though, he never regretted taking their troublesome kids in as his own.

Garp smiled down on the small child in his arms and thought _, He'll make a fine marine, I guarantee it._ They all had their parents' potential, but Garp would do his damnest to see it used for the right side of the law.

For him, there was never an option to think otherwise.

The other roads led to a nightmarish path that could only end in one way, after all. And Garp would do everything in his power to prevent such a short-lived future for _his_ brats.


	2. Chapter I: Making Friends

Chapter I: Making Friends

* * *

A/N: Thanks to all reader who had taken the time to read my first honest attempt at fanfiction. I am now in the process of running through this entire story for minor (and possible major) editing.

New game plan: For the first story, I plan to edit at least five chapters then submit those changes all at once. I will place author notes marking the date. Once I finish with the first story, I will go through the sequel, and submit it as a new version separate from the old version as suggested. I definitely overestimated how much time I have to dedicate to this story, but I will do my best to finish what I started.

Word of warning, I decided to review _kitsune_ folklore and characteristics of real fire and have changed Kitsune's devil fruit accordingly.

Thank you for your dedication, faithful readers!

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _/Flashbacks and summaries/_

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

* * *

 _Dawn Island, East Blue_

 _Mt. Corvo_

 _Four Years Later…_

* * *

"Luffy!"

A small, dark-haired child nearly toppled off a rocky slope and into a fast-flowing stream. Just as he fell, another child - black-haired but for the odd blond locks framing his face - pulled the younger child into his arms. The ground just about gave away when the older child made a swift leap backward onto more solid ground.

"You rubber-brained idiot! Neither of us can swim! How many times do I have to tell you that? I can't believe you fell for this trick…again, actually, no, I can," sighed the twelve-year-old. Sol D. Kitsune was the adoptive older brother of the small raven-headed monster brat he called Luffy, and some days being a big brother was a headache in a half. "Seriously, though, Luffy, please if you insist on following Ace, take more care of yourself. What if I was busy hunting or something or if you fell in the current before I could grab you? The bandits live too far up the mountain for me to fetch someone in time."

A~and, here came the puppy eyes, complete with wet-looking eyes.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Kit," sniffed Luffy.

 _I'm such a sucker of a brother,_ mentally sighed the pre-teen. "It's alright, Luffy. I'm not mad at you…just made with this whole situation. That new "brother" of ours could test a saint's patience. But if you really want to follow him…"

Portgas D. Ace was a little hellion to be honest. Already, Luffy had fallen into a pit, fell off a cliff, was chased by wolves, and nearly found out what the belly of a gator was like. And that was just this week.

But, Luffy was determined to follow that Ace to wherever he was going.

This whole chasing-thing couldn't go on for forever. Sure, a rubber body from eating the Gum-Gum fruit came in handy with stuffy like bouncing off flat rocks or softening otherwise deadly blows from the forest inhabitants, but, sooner or later, the straw-hatted boy's luck will run out.

Kitsune just hoped he would be there to intervene when it does. To him, Luffy was his precious baby brother, after all, ever since he first laid eyes on the toddler.

Four years ago, Vice-Admiral Garp dropped young Kitsune off on Dawn Island to stay and live with his own grandson Luffy.

A few months ago, shortly after the incident with a certain pirate group, Grandfather decided that the two should stay with a bunch of mountain bandits on Mt. Corvo along with Garp's other grandkid Ace. To this day, Kitsune wondered what in the world Grandfather was thinking. Raised by mountain bandits but insisting that they all will become marines?!

Somehow, that all made sense in the old marine's mind.

Right…

There was definitely a story here, Kitsune didn't have to be a mind reader to tell how mess up this Ace was. The younger boy had old eyes that seen too much pain for his few years, not unlike Kitsune's own eyes whenever he was by himself and a reflective surface.

Maybe if Kitsune cared enough, he would listen to Ace's big backstory, but any empathy and patience he had was rapidly running out with the repeated and deliberate attempts at killing Luffy.

All the understanding in the world meant about zero when his naïve and ball of sunshine brother was at stake.

"Aargh, alright. I'll give you a hand this time, 'kay? Just promise to be careful. I really don't want to see you in the hospital…ever."

" _Shishishi_. Don't worry Kit, I can take care of myself. Someday, I'll be King of the Pirates!" Luffy giggled. The younger D surely lived up to his devil fruit, bouncing back from despair relatively quickly.

And when those eyes were paired with Luffy too big smile… _Honestly, if Ace stuck around more, I doubt even a sourpuss like him would be able to resist Luffy's sheer brightness._ Seriously, Luffy's puppy look was insidious enough to melt even the iciest of heart while his smile was something else. If Luffy was a bit less moral and straightforward, he could probably trick anyone into doing what he wanted to just turn off that sheer fluffy cuteness.

Kitsune was certainly not completely immune to it after all these years, obviously.

He dragged a hand down his face before he offered the younger boy a hand, hauling him to his feet. He gestured for the boy to climb on his back.

Once Luffy settled onto the blond and raven's back, a plume of coppery red smoke covered the pair. As it cleared, Luffy no longer straddled the older boy but instead laid on top a red fox a bit bigger than a normal fox (though, still tiny compared to the usual inhabitants of the forest). A regular or older child wouldn't be able to possibly straddle the fox, but Luffy's form was so slight compared to other children (and his rubber body probably made him even lighter), Kitsune hardly even felt the younger boy's weight. A single plumed tail lashed behind him.

Tannish red fur rustled as the fox curled his hunches back. Kitsune whispered, "Hold on tight, Anchor."

The young fox suddenly bounded forward, his fleet feet racing across several rocks poking out from the river below. Luffy clutched the fur tight with one hand as the other kept his hat from falling off entirely as the fox began to scale back up nearly vertical, but his carefree laughter reassured the fox.

The raced through the woods with the little boy giggling the whole time. All irritation from earlier slowly seeped away, and the fox wore a content grin (or as close as a grin a fox can make).

Ace certainly had taken some precautions in case Luffy actually managed the ravine. His scent trail seemed to loop and double back on itself at several points. But, the younger boy didn't, couldn't, account for senses keener than any human's. The fox gave a more feral grin as his human mind picked out the general direction where scent and tracks led.

Maybe it was time for Kitsune to exactly where the other "grandson" of Garp ran off. He was the oldest brother, after all, when all was said and done.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later, mid-afternoon_

 _Somewhere on edge of the forest before the Gray Terminal_

* * *

"You're taking way too long to meet up here, Ace!" scolded a blue-coated kid.

He was blond, wore a top hat, and definitely was not anyone Kitsune seen before.

The two boys had met in a small clearing. Judging by the signs of wear on the grass, they met here fairly often, probably for years judging by the numerous scent layers Kitsune's keen nose could still pick out in human form.

The older boy crouched down, throwing an arm around Luffy and pulling him to do the same. The rubber boy opened his mouth, but Kitsune shot him a look saying _do what I say and stay quiet._ Luffy still squirmed in his hold, but the boy listened and stayed silent, if pouty. The pout disappeared as Luffy tuned in to the conversation playing out not more than a few feet away from their hiding spot.

"It's not my fault, Sabo! The little crybaby keeps following me around. I think I lost him for good this time, though, since he kind of fell off a cliff…*sweat drop*…and into a river full of rocks," retorted the soon-to-be-unconscious Ace.

Before Kitsune could finish planning the appropriate payback punishment, the well-dressed kid – Sabo - snorted and waved off the raven-haired boy's outburst.

"Well, whatever. Let's head off and grab what loot we can for the pirate fund." And with that, the two approximate ten-year-olds scampered off toward what looked like a massive trash heap beyond the forest line.

"Luffy, why don't you stay here, and I'll grab us some food," Kitsune proposed.

He needed some time to cool off lest he do something unfortunate to Ace. It was one thing to suspect, it was another thing to have it confirmed that Ace knew exactly what he was doing. Plus, food was always an instant plus with Luffy.

"Those two probably will return here in a bit so don't leave this hiding spot. It'll be like a game, like hide-and-go-seek. Just don't move from this area, okay?" The blond-and-black-haired boy murmured to the smaller dark-hair boy.

" _Shishishishi_! Okay, Kit-nii. Bring lots of meat!"

 _Yeah, why not anything else?_ The older boy rolled his eyes again before nodding his head in acquiescence. That particular nickname always did it for the fox-child.

"Meat and plenty of greens, too, because you're a growing boy, Luffy," asserted Kitsune with a stern look at the other's pout. "Be a good young man while I'm gone," and with that last note, the 12-year-old turned back into his red fox form. Turning away from the seven-year-old, the fox bounded away in a steady lope toward the deeper parts of the forest.

* * *

 _This is so boring_ thought the young boy. For what felt like hours (about 18 minutes), the boy had explored the nearby forest where Kit had order him to remain. But waiting was so boring!

After snacking on some hopefully nonpoisonous bugs from a nearby tree (what Kit didn't know wouldn't hurt), Luffy decided that he since he was a young _man_ , so he should go and show Kit how much he was one by finding his new friends by himself.

Luffy scampered past the forest boundaries and into a large dump. He wandered around the trash heaps, openly gaping at the fuming piles and the scraggly men scavenging through the trash. Luffy yelled for Ace until he saw the boy sometime later enter the forest with a large sack over his shoulder. Naturally, Luffy decided to trail behind him.

In a different clearing, he found the two older boys hovering over some sack.

They were talking about treasure!

"Good haul this time. Those suckers sure weren't that strong. And look at all this gold. We're getting closer and closer to our goal, huh, Sabo?" exclaimed Ace.

"Just a few more years if we can just keep getting decent loot from suckers like those two," the top hatter-Sabo?-answered. The Sabo-guy lifted a hidden compartment in the large tree branch where even more treasure shined.

"Five years' worth of treasure so far. We'll need thousands, maybe millions of berries, though, for a pirate ship."

 _A PIRATE SHIP?!_ Luffy couldn't wait any more. The excitement was too much.

"Wow! Look at all that gold! You guys are going to buy a pirate ship? Are you guys going to be pirates? Cool, so am I!"

The boys startled before they trained their glares on their unwanted witness. They scrambled down from the monster tree where they had perched and headed straight for Luffy, simultaneously smacking the younger boy on the head.

After some scuffling and much head banging and smacking and rope, Luffy was now tied to a tree and the two older boys were in a heated discussion.

"Wow, so you guys are pirates? Neat. Hi, who are you buddy? Will you be my friend, too?" babbled an oblivious Luffy.

"My name's Sa-It's not buddy, and no, I will not be your friend!" yelled the top hatter. "What now? Isn't this the guy that was following you around all the time, Ace? And wasn't there someone else supposed to be with him, too?"

"Yeah, but I thought I lost him for sure this morning. Last I saw, this idiot raced right off the bridge and into the ravine. Not sure where the other one is, but maybe he rescued him? How much do you think Luffy here knows?"

"I totally did not hear you guys talking about your treasure stash, or that you stole that money from a couple of guys you two beat up," revealed Luffy in typical Luffy-chatter. "Oh, are you guys really going to buy a ship and sail as great pirates?" Luffy still remain somewhat oblivious of the tension and the effect of his words.

"He knows too much. We have no choice," Ace intoned grimly.

"You're right. We're gonna have to kill him."

Luffy stilled before blubbering in great gasps and sobs. "Please don't kill me! *sob, scream* I don't wanna die! Someone help me! * _Waaaaaah*_!"

Ace gestured for Sabo to do the deed, but the other boy blanched.

"I never killed someone before in my life. Why don't you do it?"

"I never killed anyone either!"

"You do it! I don't know how to kill someone!"

"No, you!"

"You've been the one trying to kill him this whole time anyways!"

"That was different!"

"How was it diff-?!"

"Don't throw me in the water!"

"Seriously, you just told us that?"

"Are you stupid or something?"

*Snap!*

Two pairs of eyes widened even as their heads shot up to look frantically around for the source of the noise. The heavy patter of boots thumped toward the clearing.

"Shit, did they follow me?"

"Who knows, hurry up and hide!"

Considering leaving the loudmouth who gave away his own true weakness in a panic was a BAD idea, the two boys freed him before hauling the smaller boy over to some bushes to hide. Unfortunately, they underestimated just how stupid and reckless Luffy could be.

 _/ Luffy does the very Luffy-thing and gets caught by the Bluejam Pirates. Ace and Sabo abandon him with the thought that the little crybaby will give away their treasure's location soon._

 _Meanwhile, a very pissed-off Kitsune darts around the forest looking for his wayward brother. "Luffy, if you're not dead, you will be when I find you!" snarled the worried fox-child as he sniffed the air in the hope of catching his little brother's scent trail._

 _While Ace and Sabo go to move the treasure, the Bluejam pirates take Luffy with them to interrogate about the whereabouts of their treasure._

 _Evening falls. The boys finally realize what a mistake they've made when it became apparent Luffy had not given away their secret. Guilty and terrified of the younger boy's fate, the two rush into the Grey Terminal and the Bluejam Pirates' hideout. /_

* * *

 _Shack in the Grey Terminal_

* * *

"No…I won't tell…" muttered Luffy.

His bruised, bloody, and battered body hung limply. The enraged and desperate pirate in front of him was relentless with pounding the young rubber boy with spiked gloves when ordinary tactics failed to do any damage. The pirates sighed in frustration before slinging off his gloves and grabbing his large and sharp sword.

Luffy's breath catches as the metal catches the light of the lone bulb of the room. He winces as the somewhat familiar scent of copper and rust tinges the air. Luffy knows exactly what the blade is used for, if only subconsciously. He shrinks back on instinct, or as much as he could with his poor and battered body.

"Alright, then. Sunset has come and gone, so there's no more point in this. How about I peel off that face of yours for recompense. Maybe those "friends" of yours will come out when they hear about it. Either way, kid, you're de-" The door of the shack slammed open as two familiar figures leaped with pipes raised high.

Ace and Sabo has just arrived in time.

"You bastard! Leave Luffy alone!" Ace shouted.

The pipes came down, beating back the pirates standing to the sides. Porchemy gave a wide smirk as he lowered his blade slightly and turned to his ultimate targets.

Ace intercepted Porchemy's blade as it came crashing down. Sabo slipped past the two combatants, using the distraction to free Luffy. The former noble grimaces at the amount of blood staining every visible inch of skin, clothes, and even dripping to puddle on the ground. _If only we came sooner! And if we arrived even a minute later…!_ Sabo had to focus on Luffy right now and condemn his cowardly actions later.

The little boy could barely acknowledge his saviors beyond some murmuring of the boys' names and lifting his head ever so slightly.

The battle between pirate and pirate-to-be was going poorly; Ace could barely hold off the pirate as his blade slashed and parried his pipe. Sabo noticed Ace's dire straits and tried to support his friend. The two couldn't hold out much longer as more pirates joined in the scuffle from the outside, but Ace refused to back down from the fight. Luffy cowered behind the two boys as they are forced deeper into the shed and deliberately away from the door.

This was definitely not good.

Just as the boys were all but overwhelmed, the walls of the shack catch aflame. In mere moments, fire crawls to cover every inch of wood, the fire too dense and thick about the doorway to even see the other side.

The pirates screamed as the crimson flames licked and burned them. Suddenly a giant dark blue mass covered in writhing dark blue flames emerged through the flaming doorway and swatted the pirates aside like bugs. The fox was monstrous. Its shoulder stood even with the waist of a full-grown man, and dense muscles coiled under the fiery fur. Where the blue fire touched, deep crimson and unnatural fire would continue burning.

For Porchemy, who cringed away from the burning wisps of fire, the flaming fox spared no mercy. It charged, slamming shoulder first into the large man. Porchemy flew into the wall behind the cowering trio of boys, partially collapsing it.

Strangely, the crimson fire did not feel hot at all to them. Furthermore, the fire seems to give off no smoke, nor did it spread as if contained beyond an invisible line surrounding the trio.

Heartened, Ace went over to the semi-conscious Porchemy and bashed his head for good measure. The fox trotted over to Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, its five tails lashing to the sides. A flurry of grey smoke and a very irate older brother stood in its place.

"You careless, idiotic, lame-brained—AARGH! Come on you three. We can't obviously stay here, and Luffy needs some medical treatment right away. So do the rest of you for that matter," huffed Kit. The fox-turned-boy marched out through the hole and over Porchemy's unconscious body. The boys quickly followed after him.

The ease at which Kitsune had just defeated Bluejam's worst man was more than telling that none of them want to test the fox-human's patience right now.

* * *

 _Cave deep in the forest north of Mt. Corvo_

* * *

Kitsune took the three to a little hideout the fox kept for just this sort of emergency. He tended to his youngest brother with barely hidden rage. Luffy now resembled a mummy in all the ointment and bandages covering him from head to toe. Kitsune also treated Ace and Sabo for the various scrapes and bruises they got from today's activities (namely from the day's thefts and fighting the Bluejam Pirates).

The Zoan only needed shoot the two older boys a rather baleful and uncompromising look before the two spilled the entire knuckleheaded series of events.

By the end of the reiteration, Kitsune wants to dearly hunt down the Bluejam Pirates so willing to torture a child for just a bit of treasure. For now, he had to be satisfied many of them will spend weeks in recovery, most bearing burn scars for the rest of their lives. His foxfire burned like nothing else and healed more slowly than wounds from regular fire. Just a perk from his, in the words of Luffy, awesome devil fruit power.

As for the here and now, Kitsune needed to address something first.

"What were you idiots thinking? Those were PIRATES! You three could have died! If I had not showed when I did…" Kitsune tugged at his blond locks of hair before plopping down on a makeshift rock seat. No longer reticent about his powers, Kitsune didn't resist the urge to light several harmless foxfires around him, the flames as red as the haze threatening his focus. The edges burned bright blue, a warning sign when using his _yako_ form's brand of flame; blue fire burned the hottest after white, and it took a lot of energy (and anger) for Kitsune to keep the flames blue rather than fade to the crimson.

Luffy sniffled, and Sabo looked down morosely, but Ace only glared at the older boy. Kitsune sighed. He got up and fetched some food he cooked earlier that day. "Eat, rescuing your friends takes a lot of energy."

Kitsune watched as the ravenous patients devoured all his food from today's earlier hunt…and then the remaining rations tucked away in the cave. _Is that what it looks like when I eat? Huh, I don't think I ever really paid attention to how much two D's can eat. Sabo's not far behind either, come to think of it._ The boys rapidly chowed down on the piles of dried and salted meat, preserved fruits, and bread. They also shamelessly stole bits from one another. Kitsune was glad he chose to eat in a farther corner of the cave where he had clear view of the entrance.

Though, such a decision hardly deterred Luffy who would sometimes use his rubbery arms to snatch a piece or two.

Once satisfied, the boys sat in awkward silence. The top-hatted boy decided to break the ice.

"How did you save us if I may ask?" inquired the boy. "I saw how you turned from a fox to a human, though no fox I am aware of has multiple tails."

Interesting. Sabo's way of speaking is definitely more cultured than Ace's rough manner. Judging by the more acquired crude words sometimes lacing his normal speech, Sabo probably either came from a noble background or was well-integrated into one at a young age to retain those kinds of mannerisms while living like a wild boy.

His chosen style of clothing more or less confirms the first theory since Sabo doesn't seem like one to envy nobility enough to dress like them out of spite.

More likely, Sabo was just used to dressing like this and honestly likes the mockery aspect of his clothes. But Kitsune was getting off-topic and the duo were waiting for him to finally answer the blond.

"I'm a devil fruit user like Luffy. He ate the Gum-Gum fruit and is now a rubber man. I, however, ate the Dog-Dog fruit, model _kitsune_. Name's Sol D. Kitsune, and yes, my name is ironic. It also explains why that particular form has multiple tails. A _kitsune_ is a mythical creature, a fox spirit, which develops a number of tails and powers as it ages. As a devil fruit user, I can transform into a fox creature whose appearance and abilities vary according to the number of tails I manifest.

Though, the number of tails seems limited to odd numbers for some reason or another. At the most, I can have nine tails, but I rarely use that form for more than maybe a minute or two before my strength drains away, and I become useless afterwards," explained Kitsune. "I was not named for my devil fruit, just so you know. My mom liked reading about legends and myths and liked the idea of naming me after such a mischievous being. My powers are a complete coincidence. So, I introduced myself, care to reciprocate?"

"I'm Sabo, and you know Ace, right?"

"Yes. If you had not figure out earlier, the little guy is my brother in all but blood Luffy, son of that crazy Garp.

So, I heard the two of you aspire to be pirates one day, too? If I may ask, why? And don't you think I forgot that you two left my baby brother in the care of bad pirates. Nor the little things you still haven't told me, like why Luffy was left in those pirates' hands and where the two of you were this whole time," said Kitsune with a trace of threat in the last.

Ace and Sabo shared a look of guilt and distress. They probably did not want the formidable fox to be their enemy.

The two explained they wanted to be pirates for freedom and pride. They explained how they thought Luffy would be weak and give them up, how he would probably walk away safe once he just told the pirates what they wanted. They never figured the boy would protect them. At this point, Luffy spoke up.

"I didn't give you up because I want you guys to be my friends. Even when Ace ran off, called me weak, made fun of abilities, led me over cliffs, rivers, and against scary monsters, I didn't want to have it any other way if it meant Ace would be my friend in the end. Even when the scary pirate beat me up, the pain was nothing compared to the pain of loneliness. Being alone is worse than death!" pronounced the little boy.

Luffy's eyes began to tear up, and Ace and Sabo surprisingly went to comfort the younger boy before Kitsune could. After a few moments, Luffy began again.

"I have no one else. Kit's my big brother, but most of the time he's too tired from hunting at night to play, and he's older than even you. I don't have anyone else nearer to my age! I don't want to be alone…"

Kitsune blinked. He never noticed how lonely his little brother was. Most of the time, the young boy had the widest smile this side of the East Blue. The look in the other boys' eyes was just as stunned.

 _/ That night began a new chapter in the four boys' lives. Kit, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were now tied by bonds of shared loneliness, grief, and victory. Ace began to trust the little boy that protected him regardless of how badly he treated him. He also grudgingly accepted the older boy that so lovingly watched his younger charges. Days later, the boys would share cups of sake and seal their bonds of brotherhood. They would spend the next several weeks hunting, training, and working toward their collective goal of freedom and adventure. /_


	3. Chapter II: A Change in Destiny

Chapter II: A Change in Destiny: Slavery and Salvation

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _/Flashbacks and summaries/_

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

* * *

 _/ In a period of several months, the boys had faced many trials._

 _Because of the Bluejam incident, Sabo began to live with the three other boys. Grandpa Garp came and went sporadically, "training" the boys with his "Fists of Love" in his efforts to toughen them up and beat their pirating dreams from their skulls._

 _Didn't work, but it did make the four boys grow in their observation and hiding skills, even if they never could hide from Garp._

 _During this time, Ace opened up little by little, finally revealing his reviled heritage as the son of the late Pirate King Gold Roger. Luffy only got stars in his eyes, and Kitsune simple didn't care either way about what kind of blood flowed in his veins._

 _He even laughed at how serious Ace acted about this fact._

 _Ace was not amused._

 _The fox Zoan then told the three that being Gold Roger's son couldn't be much worse than being the nephew of his nearly as abhorred first mate and the son of "Reaper's Hand" Silvers Lilith._

 _In his humble opinion, the navy seemed pretty antsy about any sort of suggestion of "tainted" blood._

 _Plus, his dad didn't give off a "good guy" vibe either from what the D knew (don't ask, Uncle Ray refused to say anything more, even inebriated)._

 _Sometime later, Sabo was forced to reveal his noble lineage, much to his shame, but the boys did not care._

 _No matter their former status, their heritage, or their faults, they were brothers._

 _The Devil and Kami's help whoever would say otherwise_

 _Shortly after these revelations, Sabo's past caught up to him. The Bluejam Pirates stole him away from the others. It did not escape the Zoan's notice the pirates struck during the interim their grandfather had unexpectedly spirited him away from the island for a "personal" training trip (read: training hell in East Blue's few seedy islands)._

 _Shortly thereafter, the Grey Terminal burned on the orders of the royal family of the Goa Kingdom. Sabo managed to escape his noble family during the night of the fire. Heartsick of the corruption of his fellow nobles, Sabo decided to set sail early. He nearly died when the visiting Celestial Dragon fired on his small ship._

 _Luckily, the fox Zoan had escaped Garp's marine ship and arrived just in time to intercept a very mysterious ship with very shady characters plus one wayward brother aboard._

 _Ace and Luffy were more than enthusiastic to see both their missing brothers returned a few weeks after_

 _(Comas were a thing, and Kitsune knew the bandit hideout and their own base were not exactly calming or particularly clean places for a recuperation. And with how bad the burns were, Kitsune rather not take chances)._

 _The boys now have long since vacated the residence of the mountain bandits and lived in the forest. It wasn't exactly like the bandits were actually taking care of them aside from their rough sort of nursing every once in a while._

 _This morning, the shadow of a ship looms over the horizon. With it, an aura of fear and menace comes to the peaceful Dawn Island. /_

* * *

Kitsune groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. One moment, he and his brothers had a few boars cooking on a fire, next thing he knows, he hears yells. Then darkness.

Did someone knock on his head? Peering around, Kitsune's confusion dissipates, replaced by a wave of apprehension (and fear). His brothers and he were shackled. The chains around his extremities had an odd blue sheen, and he felt so tired. Luffy's handcuffs looked about the same. Ace laid against the wooden wall opposite to him, left of Sabo, and right of Luffy.

One by one, the other boys woke to this nightmare.

The door next to the Zoan slams open. A scrawny and bedraggled man stands in the doorway.

"Well, my sleeping beauties finally woke up, hmm? Hope you enjoy the accommodations since you'll be enjoying a great deal longer – at least until we arrive to Sabaody. Such fine slaves will fetch a pretty penny from those nobles, you know," sneered the cruel man, no, _slaver_.

Sabo's eyes nearly pops out of his head. Ace' glare tries to melt the man where he stood. Luffy only looks in confusion, the beginning of sobs shaking his little body.

 _Ahh…Now I remember,_ Kitsune recalls. _When we were settling down for lunch near the forest's coastline a bunch of thugs came out from the bushes. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy naturally attacked first, asked questions too late. Those men just smacked them down with their clubs and swords. Luffy tried Gum-Gum Pistol but missed and knocked himself to the ground. Those men came at them with bags and chains and rope. I tried to spring into action from my hiding spot in the tree. I think I landed a few good scratches but then I had a chain tossed around my head. My strength fled immediately, like being immersed in seawater. I saw a club coming at me from above while from the corner of my eyes, I saw more coming down on my brothers' heads. Then nothing._

Kitsune crinkled his brow in apprehension as he considered how strong these guys were to deal with boys that hunted monstrous giant beasts for their meals.

Meanwhile, he observes the distinct coiling of leg muscles from the slightly younger raven.

The slaver must have caught Ace's tensing, if the murderous expression didn't broadcast the hothead's thoughts.

"Don't even think about trying anything. Those chains on the oldest and youngest are seastone, the strongest material in the world; like the name suggests, they carry the power of the sea. Those two won't be causing any problems, wouldn't you two say?" With that, the slaver cruelly kicks the now sobbing Luffy and smacks Ace for good measure.

Not good. Not good at all.

* * *

 _Somewhere at sea in the Grand Line's first half._

* * *

 _We're not going to make it at this rate,_ thought the top-hatted boy. Just a few days ago, the four boys managed to escape their captors some weeks before landing at Sabaody. Under the terrible conditions, extreme weather changes, and a diet of bread, water, and an occasional lime, the youngest brother fell deathly ill. Kit mimicked the younger boy - though not exactly far off from the youngest's condition himself - as the pirates removed the shackles of their sickly prisoners in the assumption that it may help.

You can't sell defective or half-dead products at full price, after all.

And really, what can two boys in their state do?

Kitsune was apparently not someone to mess with even when exhausted and starving. The slavers' ship was probably somewhere on the bottom of the sea along with their chains. But, as free as they may be, the boys were just drifting in one of the world's most dangerous of seas in a lifeboat with no land in sight. The emergency provisions had run out, and Luffy still suffered from sickness.

Kit laid splayed on the boat's floor, his strength long drained from the fight for freedom. Ace barely could stay up. Sabo's eyes began to droop. _Will any of us wake to see the next sunrise?_

* * *

 _In the crow's nest of the Moby Dick_

* * *

All looked clear.

The blond man looked bored as he leaned against the railing of the crow's nest. His best friend and commander of the Fourth Division Thatch technically had watch duty in the crow's nest but bribed the first commander to accompany him because "it's too boring to do alone".

Marco was regretting the deal because a bottle of sake was not worth doing the entire watch while Thatch scribbled in his notebook, planning the next day's set of pranks.

Nothing interesting ever happened in Paradise.

Marco's eyes continued to droop until in the distance something caught the first commander's attention. There swayed a small boat.

Marco shook Thatch. His friend looked miffed from the sudden interruption of his scheming until Marco pointed out the incoming boat on the horizon.

Once word got out, their captain and father-figure decided to send a small party out to scout the mysterious vessel. Since Marco and Thatch first saw it, they would be the ones leading the mission.

Naturally, the commanders acted disgruntled to perform such a small errand. But off they went with a handful of other volunteers and a nurse just in case it might be some people left marooned by their crew or by less moral elements.

An all too common occurrence in era where trust couldn't be handed out so easily.

Marco expected a lot of things. He expected either an empty vessel since he thought he saw no one aboard from the crow's nest or maybe shipwrecked sailors hiding in the shadows of the vessel.

He did not expect to find four unconscious and barely alive boys. He ordered his men to secure the small boat to their own while he had Thatch help carry the children to their boat so that their nurse could care for them until they returned to the _Moby Dick_.

The nurses on the _Moby Dick_ spared no time for questions as they shooed away the curious pirates and began treatment for the four children.

Their diagnoses were not promising. The youngest had caught a terrible virus, the eldest was covered in scrapes, all infected, and all four of them suffered terribly from dehydration, malnutrition, and exposure. Their clothing was torn and ragged and hung off their frail limbs. Thatch, for once, did not smile, worry for the strange boys eating at his heart. They may be pirates but no child should suffer so.

After a week in the infirmary, the second oldest raven-haired boy and the blond finally stirred.

* * *

Ace winced at the light. Somewhere nearby, he heard what sounded like Sabo groaning. He blinked his eyes a few times until the memories of the past months returned with vengeance.

He sat up in a panic and swept his vision around the white room. He was laying in some cot and his brothers laid in cots next to his. All of them seemed to be hooked up to some sort of machine with several tubes attached to each boy. Most of them also had various clean bandages replacing the old, bloodied makeshift ones. Ace tugged at a cord and grimaced at the sharp pain.

"Don't play with that. You might hurt yourself," berated a tall, slim woman dressed in a pink nurse's outfit. "The four of you are quite lucky. The youngest especially since another day at sea probably would have killed him. As it is, he'll be bed-bound for a good while. Now be a good young lad and rest yourself. Those tubes have been feeding you some of the necessary nutrition your body lacked, but now that you're awake, you should probably start on something a bit more filling. Oh, your other friends seem to be coming to as well," continued the nurse lady.

Still unsettled and suspicious, Ace corrected her none too gently, "These are my BROTHERS. Oi, Lu, Kit, Sabo, you awake?"

The boys responded with some muttering and an answering groan of yes. Luffy struggled up while Kit carefully sat up, eyes half-lidded in pain from the strain on his wounds (stupid Zoan metabolism and partial regenerative ability was hell for all but a very deadly concentration of pain relievers). Sabo easily enough sat up in his cot with only some signs of pain from the effort.

"Ugh, where are we, Ace?" muttered the top hat wearer.

"Oh good you're finally awake-yoi." a voice greeted from the doorway a little ways away from the boys. Standing the doorway was a blond man that wore a lazy expression.

Luffy took one look at him and chirped, "You look like a pineapple!" That certainly broke the ice as the four boys laughed and the man sputtered.

"My name's Marco-yoi," the man corrected, his expression still lazy if a bit more pinched at the chorus of giggles. "So, if I may ask, who are you brats and why were you drifting in the sea with basically no supplies?"

The laughter died off immediately. Ace and Sabo exchanged worried glances as they tried to think of an answer. Luffy's smile vanished, and he looked like he was about to cry again. Kit could only look down at his wrapped hands. Finally, Sabo responded.

"My name's Sabo, Ace is the black-haired one about my age, Luffy's the youngest, and Kit is the eldest. We were lost on sea. Our ship sunk, and we only had enough food and water for a few days on the lifeboat. We couldn't find any medical supplies either," explained Sabo. "By chance, have you seen the hats we were wearing? They're kind of important to us…"

The blond man raised his eyebrow but walked over to a set of dressers at one end of the infirmary. He reached in and pulled out Sabo's top hat and Luffy's straw hat. Both boys looked pleased at the return of their headgear.

"Lost at sea, huh? Well you're welcome to staying on our ship until you've fully recovered and are ready to tell us where to take you-yoi," Marco said with a small, gentle smile.

Just then, the infirmary door slammed open. An even stranger tall man strode in. The boys gaped. The man had auburn hair styled in the most ridiculous fashion they ever seen and wore a white top and pants with a yellow scarf tied around his neck. Luffy openly laughed as he asked their newest guest, "Why does your hair look like a club?"

Ace and Sabo inwardly groaned at their little brother's bumbling mouth. But the man only jovially laughed at the kid's remark and replied, "This hairstyle is called a pompadour. Don't you think it looks good? Much better than the pineapple's, wouldn't you say?" At that, Marco slapped the taller man on the back of his head.

"Don't encourage them, Thatch-yoi."

Okay, Ace had had enough of the theatrics. "Who are you guys exactly? And where are we?"

"I'm Thatch, commander of the fourth division and the pineapple-guy is Marco, the first division's commander. We're part of the Whitebeard Pirates, and right now, you're on our ship the _Moby Dick_. We found you four drifting on the sea and treated your wounds and any illnesses. You guys are pretty lucky since this part of the Grand Line is pretty desolate and out of the way for most ships."

At this point, the pineapp-Marco interrupted. "As I said before, you four will remain on the ship until you can safely travel on your own. That means staying in the infirmary for the next few days for most of you. Luffy, on the other hand, should stay here a bit longer to recover fully from the virus. In the meantime, if you guys need anything, just ask one of us commanders," said Marco.

Before Ace could protest, Kit finally spoke. "Thank you all for your aid and tolerance. We are very grateful for the amount of care you have provides to us, four strangers you just found at sea. Please, don't insist on helping us more than you have already done so." Thatch laughed and waved off Kit's response.

"Seriously, you four are no more than kids. We may be pirates but it would be absolutely heartless even for pirates not to care about a bunch of injured and sickly children. If we want to help you beyond just treating your wounds, then accept it."

The two commanders left a few minutes later after Ace decided to ignore them, Luffy fell back to sleep, and Sabo just absentmindedly stared at the wall. Kit didn't say anything, but his silver-blue eyes were fairly unnerving when focused solely on the two men.

* * *

While they walked to Pop's room to report their guests' condition, Thatch voiced the suspicions that have been plaguing the blond.

"Hey, Marco. Those kids weren't exactly telling the truth, were they? I, mean, not the complete one at least. The infection on the eldest was really severe, especially if he's a devil fruit user like you think he is (without the seastone, Kitsune's regenerative powers kicked in once his body had some energy to spare for it) Actually, all the boys looked a fairly bad even for several days at sea with minimal water supplies. Something tells me that they haven't had a decent meal for a _long_ time."

The first commander glanced at his friend but said nothing. They've known each other long enough to communicate without words, the redhead was simply venting his frustrations aloud compared to the brooding blond. Marco absolutely agreed, but he knew the boys' type. Worn-down, possibly abused and traumatized by whatever happened, they weren't going to simply reveal their past to a bunch of strangers, much less a bunch of dangerous pirates.

Standing before Whitebeard, the men gave their report along with any and all suspicions regarding their unexpected guests. The captain thought for a few moments. His sons were right to bring up their suspicions as the doctor's report corresponded with the indication that the boys have been suffering for quite some time. Whitebeard thought some more before sighing.

"Those brats sound like they'll be a bit of trouble for a while. I agree, if they have been through some sort of a bad situation, they won't willingly talk about it for a long while. Let's give them some time. Try to befriend them once they're better but avoid pushing their boundaries. It'll take time to earn their trust, but the next island is about a month-and-a-half out. We'll decide when it the time comes, but for now, they are our guests."

Marco and Thatch nodded their heads in understanding. In their heads, a certain phrase kept replaying: _What have we gotten ourselves into?_


	4. Chapter III: On Board the Moby Dick

Chapter III: On Board the _Moby Dick_

* * *

A/N: Thank you for everyone that started viewing, following, and even marking this story as a favorite (thanks especially to the first person to favorite, Shiranui Rixman). This is actually my first solid attempt to write fanfiction. I'll try my best to update as quickly as possible. Thanks again to all who will bear with me on this first attempt. Also, to explain why I have the names of some of the characters at certain points, I like to note places where the story shifts perspectives or the focus is on the viewpoint of one particular character or set of characters. I hope you all enjoy the journey :)

Disclaimer: To assert once and hopefully never again, One Piece is a product of Eiichiro Oda. I have only legal rights to my own personal touches to the storyline and characters.

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

* * *

 _Somewhere on the Grand Line (Paradise)_

 _After two weeks of recovery_

* * *

"Luffy!"

Everyone has finally recovered. Ace, Sabo, and Kitsune refused to leave Luffy until he felt better after they were initially released. However, their combined brotherly stubbornness and protectiveness faltered when the head nurse insisted they leave in that oh so sweet command that promised _or else_. She allowed their continued stay on the condition that the boys not crowd Luffy and _behave_ d.

Now the four boys were staying in a cabin aboard the _Moby Dick_. The crew bought some clothes that were somewhat similar to the design of the ragged clothes the boys were wearing when they arrived onto the ship. Apparently the Whitebeard Pirates did stop by an island shortly before the boys regained consciousness. They couldn't find any beds aside from the one, but it was big enough to fit the four, if a bit of a snug fit.

The older boys agreed that their devil fruit-users - Luffy especially - should not reveal their abilities to anyone on the ship. The slave traders did mention how _valuable_ their powers made them in the auctions. Kitsune, Ace, and Sabo shuddered at the thought of someone buying poor innocent Luffy and abusing him. Really, this discussion was solely for Luffy's benefit, as Kitsune knew his own abilities were outside most standard devil fruits. Case in point, the young boy didn't exactly recall ever seeing or even hear a single mention of his devil fruit incarnated by another person in all the books he's read. He did remember Grandfather saying he was a really special kind of devil fruit-user. And in their world, special meant dangerous and coveted.

Plus, Luffy still had trouble with his control, unfortunately. That and Luffy and the sea had a bit of running gag between them as the youngest D could not stop falling into it. But, like with all devil fruit-users, the boy was essentially a hammer, an anchor that sunk and drowned if someone else didn't save him first. The boys were lucky that two of them could swim and all three had good reflexes, or Luffy would have fallen off the slavers' ship long before their break for freedom. Which returns Kit to the boys' current predicament.

Kitsune had a firm hold on Luffy's shirt but not much else. Any moment now and his foot would slip off the railing of the ship. Just after the boys settled into their new room and change clothing, Luffy decided to slip outside. Luffy plus curiosity plus railings to climb equaled disaster. The straw-hatted boy fell off the railings, but Kitsune luckily noticed Luffy's absence in time to duck his head out the door, see his little brother suddenly jerked from his wobbly walk on top of the wooden structure, and leap after the toppling boy.

Kitsune's foot slipped a bit more from its precarious hold. He would have used his devil fruit, but they were out in the open where any passerby could see (it didn't occur to him that they would actually try and help them).

As he opened his mouth to yell for help, he felt familiar hands grip his legs. Ace and Sabo struggled to pull the two back up but to no avail. They have barely recovered from their injuries. The two boys began to slip from their grasp. Suddenly another pair of hands hauled the two up. The sudden momentum caused all four boys to fall back on their rescuer. Amidst the tangled limbs and of the four boys, was a disgruntled first commander.

"What were you guys thinking - yoi? Everyone on the ship is at dinner, so if I had not come to check on you four and take you to the galley…" The commander said as he got back onto his feet and shook his head at the thought. "Can any of you even swim-yoi?"

Ace may have felt a bit grateful for the rescue, but his pride did not agree. "Sabo and I can swim," the raven huffed. "Kit never wanted to learn, and Luffy's pretty hopeless. Not that it's any of _your_ business," snapped Ace. Sabo placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, censor directed at the older boy before he turned to Marco and bowed.

"Thank you for rescuing our brothers. We are very grateful," Sabo expressed, forcing his other brother to bow with him.

 _Polite brat,_ thought Marco. "No need to thank me - yoi. You kids just need be more careful. Now, as I said, I originally was coming to grab you four for dinner since you guys missed lunch – yoi." At this, the four boys' stomachs rumbled.

With a small smile, the first commander led the way to the ship's galley. The boys dutifully followed, Luffy bouncing along while the older boys walked a bit in front of the younger, their stance still a bit tense and wary. Upon entering the galley, the boys' eyes bugged.

The first commander chuckled. The galley was a simple arrangement where people waited in several different lines for the chefs to dish out different entrees and dishes. There were many large picnic tables to seat scattered groups of pirates that chatted as they ate. The smell of good food and the hum of hundreds of conversations pervaded every corner of the galley.

The boys literally had drool pooling out from their mouths. Sitting not too far off, the fourth division commander looked over from his group before standing up and walking over.

"Long time no see kids," greeted the jovial pompadoured man. "How's the pineapple head treating you four? He may be a bit serious but trust me when I say he has his moments."

Said pineapple head walloped his friend on the back of his head. "Just because the kids do it, doesn't mean I'll let you do it – yoi."

"Ow," complained the chef with a slight whine. "Anyways, this is the galley where you guys can get your meals three times a day. Just get into one of the lines and choose four things that you would like to eat, and the chefs will serve them onto your plate," stated Thatch.

The straw hat – Luffy – pouted at this.

"Brats, four servings should be more than enough – yoi." _Kids._

"And we don't let anything go to waste on this ship, especially with as many people as we have," Thatch stated with heavy emphasis on waste. Like any decent cook, the head chef did not tolerate people just throwing away perfectly good food.

Ace and Sabo fidgeted uneasily at their hosts' blatant show of hospitality and kindness.

"We won't be able to repay you for feeding us," Ace bluntly pointed out.

"Nonsense. We took care of you four, so we're hardly going to let you get sick again from not eating. Those days at sea didn't exactly do your health any good either," Thatch countered.

"Still –" Sabo cut Ace off.

"Thank you for feeding us. My brother protests only because he doesn't understand that adults normally feed children under their care free of charge in most cases."

Ace glowered at the interruption but did nothing to contradict his brother except to mutter, "I'm not a child." Marco looked on thoughtfully. _Didn't their parents feed them?_ Thatch filed this information away as he gestured for the four brothers to follow him through one of the lines.

Luffy's eyes now shined with literal stars. " _Shishishishi_. Look at all this food, Ace. I want all meat!"

Luckily, the older brothers convinced Luffy to eat a more balanced meal. Once everyone settled and said thanks, the boys, well, literally dove into their meals. Thatch, Marco, and several surrounding crew mates gaped at the four boys. They ate with gusto, tearing through their meals with not a single word of conversation. At least until Ace snatched some pieces of meat from Sabo's plate while he was staring off at something. Sabo's gaze quickly darted to his plate before he retaliated by spearing some bread off of Ace's plate. The two boys' thieving soon dissolved to outright scuffling.

"Hey, you two! Knock it off!" Marco broke the two older boys apart by grabbing each by their shirt and coat collars. Both sullenly glared at the other until their stare drifted to their oldest and youngest brothers…who were snatching pieces off their unattended plates.

"Honestly, there's more than enough food for everyone," sighed Thatch as he helped the frustrated first commander separate the four squabbling brothers. When Ace and Sabo saw their other brothers stealing half of their dinners, the former decided to kick at Marco, surprising the man into letting go, while Sabo simply slipped his new blue coat. Sabo pounced on Kit while Ace pounded on Luffy. Now the two commanders each held a pair of sullen boys.

"Seriously? I know boys may not be fond of manners but were you four raised by animals?" shouted Marco. "You guys do NOT have to fight over food. If you want more, you may go back in line and ask for seconds, but don't steal off other people's plates."

Ace answered the first commander with a huff, and Luffy pouted. Sabo and Kit looked on sheepishly, both a bit red-faced when they thought back on their behavior.

The first commander felt another headache coming. Thatch only looked bemused with the entire affair.

Once the brats apologized (namely Sabo and Kit as Ace only turned away until Kit smacked him, and Sabo scolded the boy to remember his lessons. Luffy remained somewhat oblivious but copied his older brothers), the group settled down for dinner again. This time, the commanders allowed the brats to grab as much food as they wanted, and the kids returned with towering plates of food.

The whole table then watch in a mix of stunned awe and slight disgust and horror as the boys dug in. Compared to before, the food seemed to just disappear from their plates with even more fervor. In a few minutes, most of the Whitebeards in the galley stopped eating to blatantly gape at their guests tucking away amazing amounts of food for boys their age.

Quietly, the crew members made bets on how which boy would eat the most or who would choke first (Kit and Luffy sort of tied depending on who you asked). Marco's bland look remained as he ignored his crew mates' immaturity.

"Where does it all go?" Thatch thought out loud. "Man, you guys sure must have some crazy metabolism to eat that much. Slow down, you're still recovering, you know!" _Well, I guess those small meals we gave them while they were recovering did their stomachs well._

Finally, the boys stopped eating. Thatch looked on in amazement. None of the boys really lost their skinny appearance. They may have lost the skeleton look once they've healed, but they still looked a bit runty and frail for young boys, especially after eating about a better half of a dozen plates each. Thatch filed these thoughts into the mental file of all the particular and worrying behavior and tells of their new "guests".

If the chef guessed right, their guests wouldn't be guests for long. Not if their father had anything to do with it (during their last conversation, Pops had a familiar gleam in his yellow eyes, a warm look when he said the boys would be their "guests". The chef would bet a week's worth of chores their father wanted to replace it with a far more personal address).

Luffy began to sag against his raven-haired brother; Sabo's eyes drooped, half-lidded with fatigue; Kit kept nodding off; even Ace had trouble keeping his head up. _The boys have had a long evening_ both commanders thought.

Marco and Thatch hustled the boys back into their room and tucked them in for the night. Ace tried to protest the treatment but fell asleep halfway through. The boys looked quite adorable when they were sleeping: Ace's face softened, the broodiness and mistrust of the day gone, while Luffy instinctively curled into his brothers, and Kit tried to sprawl more onto his younger siblings than on the bed. The suspected Zoan wasn't exactly large, so it worked.

The commanders closed the door behind them with one last glance at the brothers.

* * *

 _The next few weeks_

* * *

Ace could not understand it. The brothers were strangers, uninvited guests on the ship, yet the pirates treated them like they were part of the crew.

After the incident on the first night, one of the older boys always remained with Luffy outside of their room with constant reminders to not reveal his devil fruit powers. Luffy inevitably slipped up, but not too badly that Ace, Sabo, or Kit couldn't cover for him.

The boys grouped together, barely venturing far from their cabin. That was until Thatch started bugging them to come out and explore the ship. The fourth division commander would usually join them during meals and show them various places on the _Moby Dick_. Even Ace's iron distrust cracked in the face of the affable tall man.

He found himself drawn into the pranks Thatch played on his fellow commanders and their divisions. Ace soon found himself wandering off to join Thatch for one thing or another. He may be extremely hostile, but he was also a ten-year-old kid at heart.

* * *

The top hatted boy was also drawn out by the experiences on the ship. As the child of a noble, Sabo has read many books (forced and on his own initiative), but books almost never told the whole story. He noticed on the first night that the Whitebeard Pirates also included a rare sight, a fishman. The books said the race amounted to no more than beasts, but Sabo wanted to find out for himself the truth. Surely if the books had the facts then a fishman would not be able to succeed as a powerful pirate, much less a commander.

It took a few days, but Sabo's perseverance paid off. He finally managed to corner the fishman commander of the eight division Namur.

"Hello."

The fishman did not seem to note the boy greeting him, assuming the child was maybe speaking to his brother Fossa.

"You're a fishman, aren't you?" inquired Sabo.

Namur blinked and turned fully to the child waving and walking toward him. He eyed the human boy warily before replying.

"I am. What of it? Do you need something?" Namur expected the boy to maybe mock him or just leave. He did not expect the boy to perk up and smile at him.

"Oh cool. I read all sorts about fishman, but I want to know the real story,"

"Real story?"

"Yes, books usually don't tell the whole tale, don't you think so? Hearing from a fishman personally would really be something and help clear up any lies or misconceptions, so please will you answer some of my questions, sir?"

Namur felt flattered and interested. Humans, children especially, never really acted this way with him outside the family.

He found out quickly the child Sabo was intellectual and curious brat. Namur really enjoyed the conversation with the boy. Sabo knew quite a bit for his age, and Namur soon was drawn into topics on various islands, navigation, and the rights of people. Sabo equally enjoyed the discussion. For the next several days he would meet Namur and other crew mates to discuss some of the thoughts bouncing through his head.

* * *

 _So bored_ grumbled Kitsune as he watched some whales swim past.

Ace nowadays spent a lot of time with Thatch, and Sabo loved to discuss serious and interesting topics with various Whitebeard Pirates, Namur especially. The fox Zoan never really liked hanging around so many people at once, so he usually opted to keep 'Luffy watch' in their other siblings' absence. Neither child felt particularly happy about their brothers' fun and incidental neglect of the eldest and youngest sibling.

Kitsune knew they didn't mean to forget about them, but Sabo and Ace were only ten and active young boys (in retrospect, Kitsune was also a young boy and twelve, but he also took on a lot of responsibility over Luffy since he was young, so he seldom felt his own age at times. It didn't help his Zoan devil fruit had some other side-effects on his mentality).

Luffy didn't understand things so well and consequently clung that much harder to the eldest boy.

Disuse of devil fruit powers probably did not help matters. Luffy kept squirming and fidgeting with the urge to stretch and contort. Kitsune himself wanted to run, climb, and just slip out of his human skin for a bit and play with his powers.

But Ace and Sabo would be on them even if they only did it for a split second. They could practice in the room, but the cramp quarters did not suit itself to a rocketing Luffy or a restless and slightly pyro-manic fox. So here the two were on what Luffy deemed 'his special seat'.

The whale figurehead had quite a bit of room, so unless Luffy ran off of it or rolled, he shouldn't fall. But Kitsune kept close just in case.

Suddenly a bright figure of blue and gold swooped from behind and landed before the boys.

"What are you two doing - yoi?" The gold and blue flames of the bird parted to reveal the First Division Commander Marco. Luffy's eyes gleamed in delight and wonder.

" _Shishishi_! Cool, how did you do that?"

"I ate a devil fruit and now can transform into a mythical Zoan-type, a phoenix," Marco replied with a barely-there grin.

When Kit heard the word _mythical_ , he rose from his laid-back position on the figurehead. Mythical usually referred to things of myth and legend - something like him, then. The other Zoan opened his mouth to question the phoenix, but Luffy beat him to it.

"So it's a mystery bird, _shishishi_ ," giggled Luffy. "Do you poo-" Kitsune slapped a hand over Luffy's uncensored mouth.

"Forgive my little brother, First Commander. He still has troubles with his manners," mumbled Kitsune, his face flushed in embarrassment on behalf of his bumbling baby brother. Luffy, on the other hand, tried to squirm free and complete his thought. "Not the time to ever ask those kind of questions, Anchor," Kitsune hissed to Luffy. The younger raven immediately stopped at the sight of glowing irises.

An angry Kit was not someone to be pressed.

"It's not that big of deal - yoi. Brats will be brats," replied Marco mildly. Sharp avian-enhanced eyes did not miss the predatory and unnatural light, but he knew better to draw attention to it. "Mythical Zoans are pretty rare, rarer than Logia. So I guess we are a kind of mystery. So where are your other brothers this day?"

Kitsune just sighed and released Luffy. "Not a clue. Thatch took Ace away on some adventure involving eggs, glitter, and the third division's laundry. I think Sabo ran over to Namur to discuss some things on fishman politics and international relationships, or something of that nature. So, it's just the Anchor and I," Kit responded with a heavy sigh. The middle brothers sure can make a brother feel lonely.

"The third division…best warn Jozu then – yoi. Anchor?"

"Ah, old nickname of Luffy. A pirate he really admired gave it to him since Luffy has always been hopeless in the water," Kitsune explained with a chuckle and a reminiscent look.

"I see – yoi," Marco remarked. "Well, why don't you two find something to do to amuse yourselves like those two? You might also want to rethink about swimming lessons if you want to stay close to the edge of the ship."

"No thanks. Luffy has never improved in his swimming skills in the many, _many_ attempts to teach him otherwise, and I don't think any amount of swimming lessons will change that. As for me…I don't want to learn," Kitsune announced, not giving an inch. He had his devil fruit for as long as he could remember, so he never knew what it was like to not almost drown or not associate a lot of water with exhaustion.

"Nothing on this ship is really all that entertaining honestly," Kit stated with a shrug.

Luffy's owl eyes glinted with mischief and he gave a _shishishi_ before adding, "I think this view is awesome though!"

Marco tilted his head before addressing the youngest kid. "What makes this view so special?"

"Because my special seat lets me see both the sky and sea. I love to see the endless blueness of it. Don't you think that's great?"

Kit smiled down at this little brother. Surprisingly, the usually bored looking man also smiled openly at Luffy.

"Why don't you kids go see Pops –that is the captain? I'm sure he will be more than please to tell you guys a story or two," suggested the phoenix. Kitsune's smile faded just a touch, but Luffy's puppy dog look cinched his decision.

Marco led the two brothers over to the old man's chair where they will spend the better of the whole day and days afterwards simply listening to the old man's stories and adventures. The Strongest Pirate even let Luffy sit on his huge lap. Kit humored the old man and usually climbed up on the chair as well.

Both loved the storytelling sessions. Luffy loved them for how similar they were to the stories Shanks used to tell to Luffy. Kitsune liked the stories for the gentle inflections and gentleness when speaking of the great man's family and their adventures, good and bad. Whitebeard really lived a life without regrets.

With the boys so entertained, they did not realize the impending time of parting until the next island shown on the horizon.


	5. Chapter IV: The Real Story

Chapter IV: The Real Story and the Beginning of Another

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for those that viewed, followed, or favorited. Thanks especially to my first reviewer, Nala1220 :) Who knows how my story will turn out? I never really considered any relationships, but as the story progresses (and Luffy hopefully matures a bit), I might add at least a bit of fluff. Foxes are really cute after all. The best thing about writing a story is that it takes on a life on its own really and even the author cannot anticipate its every twist and turn. Thanks again. Oh, and read and review, all comments – good, bad, but constructive – would be most appreciated.

* * *

 _The Moby Dick_

* * *

As the island approached, the KASL brothers waited nervously on the figurehead. In a few more hours, the boys would have to come to a decision: stick with their shipwreck story and somehow return to Dawn Island on their own (they would probably die considering they were kids halfway through the Grand Line), tell the truth and hope the pirates might bring them home (also doubtful, the East Blue was not exactly a place for high profile outlaws, much less an Emperor's crew), or go with the first option and find a marine to call their gramps (they REALLY didn't like that option considering how the man may not like to find his grandsons stranded in the Grand Line; plus they might end up trapped on a ship with the "Fists of Love").

None of the boys could come up with any better plans.

In the middle of another round of idea lobbying (mostly contributed by Kitsune and Sabo), Thatch decided to interrupt the boys. The * _harrumph*_ from the man startled the whispering two boys, caught the brooding raven-haired teen's attention, and caused Luffy who was gazing over the figurehead to nearly topple off.

Kitsune did not appreciate Luffy almost falling off the ship again as he lunged to grab Luffy. Luckily Thatch had quicker reflexes than either of the pre-teens, or Luffy and Kit may have both fallen over. Kitsune and Sabo told Ace off for being distracted since he was the one on Luffy duty today (they rotated to give the eldest's old-young heart a break).

After scolding the youngest boy with a sharp * _thwack*_ to the head by all three older brothers, the boys turn their attention to the fourth division commander who originally caused the whole mess.

"Oi, you guys finished? Pops wants to see you four and come to a decision before we make land. We're approaching a tourist island, Clockwork, so you four should be able to get a hold of your family," said Thatch.

The boys' gazes darted back and forth between them as they followed Thatch to Whitebeard's room.

Standing before the giant of a man, the boys couldn't help but hunch down in an effort to avoid his stare – all except Luffy who tried to squirm past Ace and Kitsune.

Whitebeard noticed how nervous the older brothers acted and asked Thatch to leave them and tell Marco to come in a little bit. Once done, Edwards Newgate refocused his attention on the boys.

"So, brats, what have you decided? I will be willing to help you guys home, if so. Or, I can have one of the commanders help you get by on the island and maybe call your parents," stated Whitebeard.

Sabo, Kitsune, and Ace exchanged pensive glances before they morphed into that of resignation.

In unspoken agreement, the eldest D stepped forward to speak.

"Our story…may not have been all that truthful. The ship that took us this far in the Grand Line did sink, however, the four of us did not regret that. To begin, we're from the East Blue, Dawn Island to be exact," Kitsune explained.

"East Blue? How did four kids from the weakest of seas end up half-way through the Grand Line?"

"About that." Kitsune was blatantly looking away from the three pirates. "The people with whom we _parted_ _ways_ in that shipwreck were slavers. They apparently came to the East Blue to procure some easy slaves and took the four of us as valued commodity. We put up quite a bit of a fight the whole time, so they would beat us and starve us to make us more manageable. On board that ship, Luffy got sick. They took away his chains since he got so weak, so I decided to mimic him. Not hard since I wasn't exactly all that well to begin with. Still, I had just enough energy and sheer determination to overcome the guards, free my brothers and the few other slaves, and, well, _cause_ the ship to wreck…or rather sink," confessed Kit.

"How did one scrawny and sick boy managed to free everyone much less defeat a whole ship of slavers? Even if you had the other slaves' help, all of you must have been pretty bad off to start with?" questioned Whitebeard.

"Heh…The thing is that my handcuffs may have been seastone and for a good reason. I'm a devil fruit-user. I used my powers to knock down the slavers with a boost from my emotions and a lot of luck…and then used them to wreck the ship. All the slaves managed to escape on life boats, and so did we. Well? Are you mad at us for lying? I wouldn't blame you, I mean, who wouldn't get mad at four strangers that lied to you in the beginning?" Whitebeard stared at the boys intently.

The brothers squirmed under his scrutiny. Instead of hearing the expected yells or condemnation, Whitebeard laughed!

" _Guararara_. Why would I be mad at you brats? Anyone would be distrustful and suspicious of a bunch of strange pirates after what you four been through. A devil fruit you say? Well, that's not exactly uncommon in this crew. So, would you brats like me to take you home? Or how about call your parents first of all?"

Ace shook his head furiously.

"We don't have parents. We have shitty Gramps, but I rather not have to deal with him."

"Yeah, that old geezer can be scarier than the slavers, too," added Sabo. "Besides we don't live with that guy either."

"Yes, I agree with that Sabo. But, I believe Whitebeard is really asking about anyone that might find our disappearance distressing at home. Captain Whitebeard, to be frank we don't really have anyone besides Grandfather who only visits occasionally. We used to live with some _associates_ of his, but we have lived by ourselves in the forest of our home island for a while. It might be good to send word to Makino at least of our well-being and assure Dadan in case she is freaking out but otherwise…"

Kitsune struggled to continue find a good way to explain their situation without saying too much. The boys still had their secrets, after all.

The old man gazed over the boys with an understanding look in his golden eyes.

"Well, if you really don't have a real home or family, why not join mine," announced Whitebeard. "Become my sons!"

"WHAT?!" The boys looked flat out dumbfounded. They have never really had or wanted a home or family outside their brotherhood. Before any of the older boys could speak, Luffy recovered first.

"No way! I'm going to the next Pirate King! A king cannot serve under another captain," pronounced Luffy proudly.

Ace smacked the back of Luffy's head and glared at Whitebeard. He never wanted a father, didn't need one, and was not going to call this guy his father anytime soon.

Sabo and Kitsune looked on thoughtfully. Sabo's parents weren't exactly saints, but the idea of a family beyond his brothers didn't sound that bad. Kitsune knew from the few stories told by his dad (that he barely remembered aside from his voice) before he left plus from the interactions with the crew that Whitebeard would treat the boys truly as his own sons no matter their heritage.

Sabo, Kitsune, and Ace had a tensed, hushed discussion between the three, (not that Whitebeard couldn't listen in if he really wanted to listen). They also explained to Luffy how Whitebeard's "family" also included allied pirates who were captains of their own right and merit. Besides, hadn't Sabo and Ace at least talked about becoming captains of their own? Did that make them any less family?

The four turned back to Whitebeard.

"We accept your offer."

" _Guararara_. Well, you boys may be my sons for our as long as you desire. Little one, you can be my son and be your own captain when you grow a little bit. Even if any of you leave the ship to make your own destiny, know that you will always be my sons. Now, I'll have Marco make arrangements for his new brothers and send a letter to your home. Now why don't we announce this to the rest of the crew?"

That night the Whitebeard Pirates celebrated the official introduction of their four new brothers. Marco drew the odd straw out and babysat the four as the older members of the family partied the whole night away.

The blond couldn't help but smirk as his brothers made absolute drunken fools of themselves, although he could have done without Luffy almost drinking some booze that he thought was juice. All in all, the Whitebeard pirate could not wait to see what his new brothers will bring to the family.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I think it's best to get this part out of the way before beginning the Pre-New World arc. Prepare for some interesting island adventures for our four brothers.


	6. Chapter V: Before the New World P1

Chapter V: Before the New World P.1 – Tick Tock, Bad Luck

* * *

A/N:

To Nala1220, I think you just gave me some great ideas. Don't worry, Luffy probably matures on the Luffy scale – he'll stay the same troublemaker as always, though it may only better in terms of outrageousness :) Thanks to all that reviewed, followed, or voted! Please leave a review. I would love to hear about how this story is going. If you have a suggestion for a particular event to take place during the brothers' journey, please, don't hesitate to ask. I would love to consider all sorts of ideas for this story. It should also be noted that I don't plan on making the rating on this story more than teen rated if at all possible. Thanks again!

[08/04/18] Updated all the way to chapter 10. I got inspired by how I could revamp the sequel, so I'm trying to push to fix up the first story. Then I'll begin work on the new ideas spinning in my head. My solid goal is to finish LBF updates by the end of the month - sooner if possible. Wish me luck~

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

 **ANGRY VOICE**

* _noises_ * (except laughter)

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _Clockwork Island_

The youngest of the brothers couldn't wait for his first island adventure.

The Whitebeard Pirates had taken another day at sea to party and celebrate their new brothers' introduction into the crew.

Luffy fell asleep at one point during the celebrations. Kitsune huffed a little at the sight. The little guy was curled up right against the big "battle beast" of a guard dog, Stefan.

Carefully, the Zoan tucked his little brother into his arms before nodding his head toward the other two. It was pretty late, and the four wanted an early start for tomorrow. Marco escorted the four boys to their cabin, and the clock in the room read it was a little over midnight.

Everyone else partied into the pre-dawn hours (except for the more sensible of heads).

Too much drinking and dancing left a lot of pirates splayed out on the deck the next morning.

The nurses did not look too pleased with the old captain's excessive drinking and cut him off halfway through the night before he retired.

Marco, as the only pirate to not drink that night (not that he would be affected much if he had), took in a spiteful sort of glee in rousing his hung-over crew mates so that they could make preparations to dock at the island in a few hours. Thatch received a bucketful of water for all his flaming turkey and pineapple jokes from the night before. The chef gave his friend a long look before heading to the kitchen to oversee breakfast preparations.

* * *

Just as promised, the pirates arrived at Clockwork Island later that morning. Luffy practically bounced off the ship in his excitement until Ace shoved him down by his hat, keeping the bouncing rubber ball from flinging himself off the ship.

The older boys still didn't completely trust the Whitebeards, so Luffy couldn't reveal his powers yet. Kitsune told Whitebeard that he had powers, but the old guy waved off the lack of info. He could wait for him to tell them on their own terms.

Even if Ace and Sabo okayed it, the _kitsune_ would have kept his abilities unknown for a little bit longer on principle; Kitsune had some issues in his childhood before meeting Luffy (devil fruit-users were not exactly…acceptable on the island where he initially grew up).

Docked at last, the commanders decided that the boys should all wear the Whitebeard mark somewhere on their clothes just as a precaution. Izo, the sixteenth division commander and resident crossdresser, made the quick adjustments, and now each boy sported the logo. Ace's red tank top had the Jolly Roger stitched to the back, Sabo had the simplified cross version on his coat pocket, Luffy's red anchor shirt had a white mark on the front, and Kit's light gray jacket sported mark on the bottom left edge. Ready, the boys trailed after the crossdresser who would be helping the boys shop for more clothes, some more beds, and maybe some other bedroom furniture and décor.

They had just finished shopping. The boys only wanted one more bed, and the crossdresser accompanying the four had the shop owners mark all their sales, so his other brothers can help take them to the ship later today.

As the boys walked, they looked at awe at the architecture. The town of Mecha was not like anything they have seen before. Everything had a metallic and clockwork touch. The houses had all sorts of clocks and gadgets attached to their walls and roofs. All throughout the town, the boys could hear these wondrous machines clank and whir.

Luffy was so entranced that he fell behind and took the wrong turn from the rest of the group. Alone, Luffy swiveled his head comically as he scanned for any sign of his brothers.

"Ace! Sabo! Kit?" Luffy's shouting trickled to a whimper. His eyes began watering until something shiny caught his eyes. All sadness forgotten, Luffy skipped over to the town's biggest attraction, the Cuckoo Plaza. All sorts of cuckoo clocks hung across the marbled platform. Luffy ran over to a particularly large clock rivaling the size of Commander Jozu. The hour hand struck ten and before the rubber kid knew it, the cuckoo literally knocked him straight onto one of the various cushions scattered about the plaza.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

Luffy rubbed his sore head before looking up at the man leaning over him. The guy was a tall bony guy with a scraggly beard and several scars lining his jaw and trailing below the grey-blue open collar. Something about the man made Luffy want to back away.

He felt like the mean Captain Bluejam! Luffy ignored the hand the man offered and scrambled back to his feet.

"Didn't hurt at all! I have to go find my family now." Before Luffy could scuttle away, the man grabbed hold of his shirt's collar. "Hey!"

"So, you're all alone?" the stranger leered, black-stained teeth showing. The man did not see the Whitebeard mark on Luffy's tee due to the food stains from lunch earlier that day. His smile sent an uncomfortable shiver through Luffy.

"Let go! My big brothers will beat you up! *Oof*!" Luffy landed a kick at the man's head when he brought Luffy a bit too close for an inspection of the boy.

Luffy managed hightail it across the plaza before he felt a foot come crashing down on his back. He heard the bad man curse above him.

"Stupid little brat! Damn, you sure can kick." The bad man reached down and grabbed hold of Luffy's foot.

"No! Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy never could aim at anything – on purpose that is – but even he could clock someone less than a foot away

*Thump*

Luffy incidentally hit the man in his pride, and said man dropped the boy with an unmanly squeal of pain.

"You little-! Guys get over here already!" shouted the man, voice high and wheedling still.

 _Good, he deserved it!_

Luffy regained his footing and without looking back, ran into an alleyway.

The man had tears tricking down his cheeks, but soon a nasty smirk replaced his frown. _Interesting. I do believe that kid's leg actually stretched. Devil fruit-user, huh? And to think Sabaody's just a week or two away._ When the man's companion finally rushed over, the bad man had already recovered, his mind whirling.

None of the townspeople nearby tried to help the young boy despite their strong desire to do so. A few days ago, this man's pirate crew docked at the island. The islanders didn't mind pirates for the most part, but these pirates wanted to cause trouble. They've been skulking around the town, threatening shop owners, and the captain somehow disabled the transponder snails. _Devil fruit-user_ they whispered fearfully and just stayed out of the pirates' way. So long as the townspeople kept quiet and acted like nothing was wrong, the pirates promised they would leave the town in peace. So, they played along.

Poor Luffy.

The boy ran headlong through the alleyways without a single thought to where he was going.

*Smack!*

The rubber boy bounced off a wall. Luffy somehow wounded up in the shadier part of Mecha. Here the alleys and streets had very little activity. Many of shops run-down, and most of the buildings served as storage facilities. Just as the boy picked himself up, he heard an ominous laugh. Spinning around, Luffy saw the absolute last thing he wanted to see: the bad man had caught up to him and there were even more scary men with him. They had him surrounded.

Luffy screamed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Kitsune darted in and out of shops. _Where was Luffy?!_ The kid was just giggling behind them five minutes ago! Typical kid to wander off on his own.

Elsewhere, he could hear Sabo and Ace calling for their little brother. They had Izo with them to make sure no one else disappeared.

The Zoan nearly ran right over the first commander when he burst into one of the shops.

After explaining how Luffy was missing, Marco pulled out a transponder snail and informed the rest of the crew. Then he joined Kit in scanning the area for their little lost brother.

Marco did not transform for better coverage since the Whitebeard Pirates did try to avoid unnecessary attention on the Paradise side of the Grand Line. The marines already felt unsettled enough with one of the emperors out of the New World. Too much of a ruckus and Navy Headquarters would probably send a fleet. The pirates didn't exactly worry so much about not winning but wanted to avoid a fight for a while with four kids on board.

 _This isn't working!_ snarled Kitsune as he looked furiously through another sidestreet. He looked back on Marco who had gone across the street to question a shop owner. The first commander really seemed worry about their little brother. A particularly stubborn and greedy and none too bright shop owner got to know how fresh his produce was when Marco lobbed him into it.

To be fair, the shop owner acted rather rude and made some disagreeable remarks when Kitsune tried to ask him some questions. That's when the first commander came over and took offense.

Kitsune came to a final decision. His human nose was a little bit better than average, but in this warren of a city with all the grease and metallic residue, he needed something better if he wanted to find Luffy fast.

His sixth sense reserved just for Luffy-sized trouble was ringing up a storm in his head, after all.

"Marco!" he called out to the first commander.

Marco raised his eyebrow a bit at this. During the entire stay of the brothers on the Moby Dick, the eldest kid decided to take a liking to Luffy's nickname of pineapple and addressed him as such when no one, or at least only his brothers or Thatch, were around. The smart kid knew where to draw the line after all. T

he phoenix quickly walked over to where Kit stood.

"Marco, this is wasting time. I know your birdy senses are great and all, but if you can't fly and get a better idea of the area, then I think I have another way," explained Kit. "Just watch and try to keep up."

Lazy eyes widened slightly as black smoke billowed around the 12-year-old. In his place stood a little fox. It had a solid black pelt, was smaller than the smallest fox species Marco knew of, and for some reason had three tails tipped blue, red, and yellow with the central tail tip also bearing a black star shape.

The fox nodded once at the first commander before lowering its head to the ground.

'Marco, hello? Can you hear me?' Marco's bored expression twitched the slightest at the unexpected strange voice that came from nowhere. 'Oh good. I can speak telepathically in my full transformations. Still a work-in-progress for my hybrid or human forms. Neat, huh? Anyways, I think I can track Luffy's trail now. Hmmm…odd, I think the scent sours for some reason up ahead. Last time it did that-' The little black fox's head jerked up in alarm. Before Marco could ask Kit to explain, the fox darted off. The first commander stared for a moment before cursing and dashing after the rapidly disappearing fox.

* * *

/ "Aaaah!" /

Just as the bad man hefted a club to knock out the straw-hatted boy, something crashed into his left leg.

The man stumbled forward. Then something bashed into his chin. His fellow pirates gaped at the sudden turn of events. Their boss was being knocked about by…nothing. Then they saw the air flicker a bit to the left of their captain. Taking a risk, one of them lunged and grabbed ahold of something – furry? The unfortunate man yelped as sharp little teeth dug into the offending hand clasped around one of its tails. The flickering got worse before the man beheld a little black fox that bared its teeth in a silent snarl.

 _Kit!_ Cheered the little boy.

'You perverts! You bastards! No one scare Luffy on my watch. Luffy, just stay out of this. I can handle it,' communicated Kit. 'Let go jerkface!' The fox turned back, and little flames began to light by the man's face. The pirate flinched and immediately released the fox's tail. 'Anyone else?'

The captain broiled with anger. How dare a little dog try to bark back at him and try to steal his merchandise. Before the fox could react the man pulled out a gun and fired twice, once at the fox's side and the next at Luffy.

The rubber-boy slammed back against the wall from the bullet's momentum, and the fox cried out in anger and pain.

Luffy moaned in pain then scrambled back up. Kit was hurt!

Kitsune managed to shift away in reflex, enough to let the bullet graze him, but the burn from the shot stung. A big disadvantage to his _ninko_ form was his limited stamina and about zero defenses. The fox ached for some payback, but shape-shifting again on top being wounded would be too risky. Too much time in-between transformations, and he had to turn back to human beforehand.

He tried to gather his wavering concentration and flung more will-o-wisps in an effort to scare the men.

 _Think so huh?_

"Men, don't be such girlies. Those little flames won't hurt you. They're just illusions, a parlor trick really. I don't think the little dog has too many tricks left after that shot. Now why don't you bag these two? We should have some seastone prism handcuffs somewhere on the ship."

The men came closer to where Kitsune laid. Then a voice frigid with rage called out.

"Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing to my brats?"

Marco never felt this level of rage before. He knew something was wrong in this town since the shop owners he visited kept avoiding his eyes and barely spoke. The town had a bad run of pirates it seemed. And these men, these SCUM, were shooting at his brats. They were not getting out of this alive.

The first commander strode into the alleyway and pulling the scariest face the children have ever seen, casually asked the men what they thought they were doing.

"Bo-boss? That's Marco the Phoenix! The commander of the first division of the Whitebeard Pirates!" The cowards backed away and consequently closer to Luffy and Kit.

"Now then, I'm sure you three weren't going to do anything to _my_ brats, were you?"

"I rather hope not," whispered an equally cold voice. Izo, Ace, and Sabo had apparently caught sight of the racing first commander.

"Now, now, I'm s-su-sure we can work something out-" Izo pulled out his gun and shot just short of the offending speaker.

"So, you know we're Whitebeard Pirates. Then I suppose you are equally aware of what we do to people that mess with our family members?" Even Ace and Sabo reflexively stepped back when they heard the tone of the sixteenth division commander. One could carve eye with how sharp the words were.

At the sight of their injured brothers, however, the two rushed over, dodging past the stunned brutes to protectively stand over their brothers.

 _Oh damn_ thought the doomed pirates. Their captain knew they had no chance against not one Whitebeard commander, never mind two!

Even his telepathy that could scramble transponder snail communications and give nightmares to any malcontent could not even make a scratch against the mental fortitude of the wrathful pirates practically drowning them all in killing intent.

Before he could say or do anything, Marco struck out, breaking the man's weapon hand. Izo took aim and shot the henchmen's kneecaps. The pirates fell to the ground. Remembering the presence of the children, the commanders quickly ended the one-sided fight, Marco aiming a kick that broke the captain's neck and Izo shooting the remaining villains in the forehead.

Kitsune slowly straightened from the protective crouch he took when the commanders came onto the scene. Looking back on his frightened youngest brother, he quickly changed into human form and gathered the little boy into his arms despite the pain that shot through his side. His face still gave away his pain, as Ace and Sabo instantly came to his side, helping him shoulder their exhausted and crying little brother.

"Luffy, you alright? Kit, you probably shouldn't be carrying Luffy, you're bleeding," gently admonished a worried Sabo.

"At least I'm not the only one a little out of character," Kitsune weakly joked. During the search, the other boy had horribly mussed up his coat, and his hat sat at an odd angle from running. Considering how fussy Sabo could be about his clothes (a last holdout from his noble upbringing), it was a rare thing to see outside of spar practice of a hunt.

"I'll be fine, just give me a minute. Wait, Luffy, let me take a look, that guy shot you!" The three were more distraught as they carefully turned over their brother to check for the bullet wound.

Izo had hurried over to help take a look at Luffy as well. Surprisingly, the boy didn't look worse for wear except for a suspicious hole in his shirt along with what felt like a start of a bruise.

"How can that be? I swore that guy shot him dead-on. I mean, I'm glad that the little guy is okay…" Marco trailed off.

Comprehension dawned first in Kitsune's eyes, and his younger brothers also came to the same conclusion.

Luffy had finally stopped crying and sniveled. "That hurt! But I guess it didn't do anything 'cause…" Luffy's teary eyes widened before darting up at Kitsune. The fox Zoan only sighed and shrugged in apology to his younger but equally overprotective brothers. These guys really were family. They came to help Luffy when they had barely joined the crew for less than a day. They can know this secret.

"Luffy's unhurt probably because of his devil fruit power. He ate the Gum-Gum fruit and is now a rubber-man. I obviously ate one, too, the Dog-Dog fruit, model _kitsune_ , ironically. I believe it's a mythical Zoan-type like Pineapple's. I can do quite a bit with it, too. For example, I can heal myself to an extent." The Zoan without further ado, let a stream of silvery blue fire trail his side. Once they dispersed, the burn and scrape from the bullet had disappeared to reveal pale, unbroken skin. "Can't do it on instinct, or for more than a minute or two at a time, but for minor wounds it works. More effective if I use it for other people, though," finished the wearied fox with a yawn.

Izo just gaped, but Marco's bland expression did not change. "Well, we better work on that then. My Flames of Rebirth – the blue fire I use to regenerate – are actually similar except they work better for myself and are limited in their effects for others. But for now, we better check you four over at the infirmary just in case. Good thing for everyone to know we have two more anchors on the crew, although you guys were rather obvious about it the way you two avoided or dismissed even the mention of swimming lessons."

Luffy stopped crying. " _Shishishi_." The boy turned his large doe eyes on the first commander and smiled. "Thanks a lot for rescuing me and my brother, Marco!" The commander smiled down on their youngest brother. Eyeing the protective hold of the older brothers, the commanders thought that their youngest won't have any problems recovering from this when he had so many loving big brothers to protect him.

* * *

The four exhausted boys returned to the Moby Dick. Marco had already called ahead to send some commanders to scour the town for the other shady pirates and to inform everyone that he had the kids.

The whole crew were worried about them as they crowded around the brothers. For once, Ace did not glare menacingly at the show of affection. _Maybe this family will be good for all of us_ Kitsune thought, smiling as Namur came over check on Sabo, Thatch congratulated Ace on being a brave older brother and Marco guided the oldest and youngest of the KASL brothers to the infirmary. Definitely more good than bad.

* * *

A/N: Yay, done sooner than I thought. Thanks for all the encouragement reviewers, followers, and voters. I hope this wasn't too dark, but I thought the crew should know about their new devil fruit-users as soon as possible considering how Luffy keeps falling off the ship and almost takes Kit with him. With the island so close to Sabaody, there's bound to be some fairly rotten pirates with a hand in the slave trade. Once people learn of a young mythical Zoan devil fruit-user, things might start getting crazy, too. Treat this as a taste of the dangers the boys will encounter on their journey with the Whitebeard Pirates. Plus, this event really shakes the boys out of their defensive shell. Nothing like a show of extreme family complex to break down those barriers. The next chapters will be a bit more fun, though. Any guesses as to what the next islands is? Should be fairly obvious.


	7. Chapter VI: Before the New World P2

Chapter VI: Before the New World P.2– Sabaody Archipelago

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _/ Flash back or summaries /_

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _Grove #44_

 _Sabaody._ _This was the place the slavers always talked about_ Ace considered, deeply in thought.

A place where they would have sold the brothers. Yet it looked like nothing the boys had imagined it to be. All around were giant trees, mangroves, which made up the Sabaody Archipelago. These monsters dwarfed the trees back on Dawn Island.

Ace looked in awe at the giant trees while the blond brother admired the pearlescent bubbles somehow coming out of the ground and would float somewhere above the treetops.

It was weird to be so relaxed at this place…but things were different now. They weren't brought here as slaves, they were just kids taking in the new experiences.

At least until they heard the sudden shouting.

"Oi, brat! Come down here!"

And there went Ace's moment of contemplation. Gazing into the bubble-filled sky, Ace's frown morphed into an expression of horror: their bumbling little brother somehow ended up in one of those bubbles that kept rising from the ground. And the idiot just laughed as he looked around in awe at all the sights above and around the mangroves.

They had just docked at Sabaody last night. Marco had decided what divisions could have shore leave, and what the other divisions would do to prepare the ship for their next departure. Since the 12th and 7th divisions had shore leave, Marco had asked their commanders if they would watch the four children while the boys explored the island. Haruta didn't mind, and Rakuyo said he didn't plan for much anyway other than stocking up on his personal booze supply.

Rakuyo was having regrets about agreeing so easily now. The 7th division commander had never spent more than a few minutes at the most with the boys, so he had no idea what trouble they could manage. Haruta, on the other hand, enjoyed watching his youngest brothers' shenanigans. Speaking of which…

 _*Pop_ * Luffy's bubble had just broke open, and the rubber boy's laughter cut off as he felt his body suddenly plummet to the earth. Ace and Sabo scrambled to try and catch their little brother. Suddenly the boy's headlong dive to the ground slowed and abruptly stopped a foot above the ground.

"That, dearest Luffy, is why you should listen to the seventh commander when he told you to – how did he put it? – Not to do something stupid or reckless during our stay on the island. And that was only ten minutes ago," chided a voice above the group. Carelessly dangling from one of the mangrove's branches hung Kit. The elder boy sported a pair of yellow fox ears and was using seven skinny golden tails tipped lightly with purple to anchor himself to the branch. They didn't come even close to wrapping around the branch itself, but the same eerie power floating the youngest D probably kept him there despite gravity's pull.

Haruta snickered up at him.

"You're not exactly doing much better. At least Luffy won't hurt himself too badly if he fell."

"Mmm, good point, commander," agreed the Zoan with a smile as he dropped down from the branch. Like Luffy, he slowed down just as he neared the ground. Rakuyo ran over to Kit and began yelling at him for being as reckless as his baby brother.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE US ALL A HEART ATTACK?!"

Ace grumbled at the heart-stopping display. The show-off was using his telekinesis and messing with them all. If Sabo and Ace weren't so familiar with such displays, they would have had a heart attack watching the smaller boy fall from who knows how many meters off the ground.

After Luffy and Kit sported some very interesting bumps from their sworn brothers and suffered a rant from Rakuyo, the group was off. Rakuyo warned the boys to not get into any _more_ trouble and for Kit to change back.

The boys were to stick close to the commanders as Sabaody had many dangers such as bounty hunters and slave traders. No matter what, the boys could not get separated from them. They stopped by a shop to rent some bubble bikes for which Luffy gave his best Luffy pout in an effort to persuade the commanders to buy one. Rakuyo chuckled good-naturedly and patted the young D's head. Apparently the bubbles of Sabaody popped outside of its unique atmosphere. That information slipped right through Luffy's rubber brain, though, and it took receiving another bump from Ace to get the boy stop nagging the commanders. Luffy had a short attention span luckily. He quickly forgot about the whole argument, as he cheered from his seat on the wagon attached to the bubble bikes.

* * *

 _Noon_

 _Some Restaurant in Sabaody_

They had just finished sight-seeing for the morning, and Luffy began to complain about food. Ace, Sabo, and Kitsune agreed with their youngest brother in a chorus of grumbling black holes. Rakuyo smiled at the boys and said he knew just the place for lunch. Luffy cheered the whole ride to the restaurant chanting "Food, food, food!"

Upon entering the restaurant, a large scruffy man waved the group over to his table. The man munched on some pie as he greeted the commanders and the boys. Ace frowned as he noticed something was off when they entered. He glanced at Luffy who had suddenly gone silent, his smile gone. The youngest D inched closer to him, hiding himself somewhat behind the older D.

Haruta's eyes slid over to littlest brother that hid behind the older. He frowned before directing his attention back to the bulky black-haired man.

"Guys, this is Marshall D. Teach, a member of the second division and one of the original members of the crew," said Rakuyo as he gestured to the large man.

Kit didn't act normally either. Usually, the older boy gave new people his trademark grin, a toothy smile with gleaming half-slitted eyes hinting at mischief. Kit did not smile now. Ace could imagine the older boy would be lowering his ears in threat if in one of his fox forms. As it was, he had a split-second to see the older boy consciously school the unconsciously formed scowl to a wary frown so quickly that someone not observing him too seriously would miss the it.

Sabo looked at his brothers with concern before taking initiative to introduce them to their guest.

"I'm Sabo, our youngest brother is Luffy, the boy he's clinging to is Ace, and Kit is the oldest. It is very nice to make your acquaintance."

" _Zehahaha._ Sure are a polite one. Ehhh…is the little one okay? Seems a bit scared-looking if you ask me."

"Hmmm. Maybe he's not comfortable with new people, Teach. So, how's the food?" asked Haruta, although he spent enough time with the kids to know that Luffy seemed to like just about everyone.

But not Teach for some reason.

" _Zehahaha_. I guess the brat just needs time to know me better. The cherry pie here is excellent, and the booze's not half bad."

The group settled down to eat lunch. Luffy ate an outrageous amount as usual but slowly, as his eyes kept sliding to the large man across their table. Kit ate normally but stared at the man out the corner of his eye.

Ace frowned as finished his own large helping(s). He shared a worried glance with Sabo and the boys silently agreed they would be sure to ask when they were alone in their room.

Teach got up and gave a hearty good-bye to the commanders before he finally left the group.

Luffy finally stopped trying to cling to Ace when the other D left, and Kit spared the departing man one last scrutinizing look before replacing his frown with his normal smirk.

Sabo was about to say something to those two when Rakuyo announced their plans to spend the remainder of the day at Sabaody Park. Luffy smiled wide, and stars shown in his eyes. The boys heard how Sabaody had an amusement park full of rides, games, and carnival food.

"Yay! Let's go! _Shishishishi_."

* * *

 _Sabaody Park_

 _This place was so neat!_ Thought the youngest brother. Luffy loved to dash around and point out all the cool shiny prizes and rides and games.

All the boys wanted to try some of the rides at the park. Their eyes practically gleamed with excitement.

But Rakky looked a bit pale when they dragged him into line. _Shishishi_. But Haru only seemed amused and more than willing to accompany them on all sorts of roller coasters and rides. Luffy loved the Ferris wheel the most, though. From way up at the top, he could see all of Sabaody and even a bit of the sea beyond the furthest mangroves. Here, his dream to be the next pirate king felt all the more real.

 _Honestly,_ the top-hat wearer thought with bemusement, _Luffy could not be any more excitable than now_. Their youngest brother practically bounced around and on more than one occasion had to be restrained before he tried to literally rocket off to the next eye-catching ride.

Rakuyo actually tied a small rope to the energetic boy just so Luffy wouldn't get lost. If Kit, Ace and Sabo haven't taken turns at Luffy watch the boy would have already separated from the group before Rakuyo put the makeshift leash on him.

The top hat wearer sighed. With Luffy dragging Rakuyo to another game where he would hopelessly lose, Sabo decided to check out one of the game stands himself. The game was one of those test your strength games but not quite as simple. The various bells floated at different levels in the air. Not only did a person have to hit mallet with enough strength to send the shot flying up to a bell but the contestant would also have to have good aim to hit the bubbles drifting around the area.

Sabo was about to leave when he spotted some of the prizes. On one stand was a rack of hats. The one that caught Sabo's eye was a bright orange cowboy hat. Next to it was an odd round hat. It was silvery gray, slightly baggy, and had a small visor. According to the sign, hitting the highest bell won the contestant either one gold prize or two of the silver prizes. Each hat had a silver tag. Sabo smiled as he thumbed the little trinkets he impulsively asked one of the commanders if he could get (with the intention to pay them back in the near future) back in the shopping district of Sabaody.

Sabo paid for a turn at the game despite the vendor's disbelieving laughter. _Fighting the tiger lord, giant crocodiles, and the other monster animals back home is way more challenging than this._ It was also a good thing the sixteenth division commander had worked with the boys on their aim with some practice on slingshots and bows _._

He dragged the mallet and firing device to the area where the highest target floated.

 _1, 2, 3…*SMACK_!* The shot flew straight up into the air, popping the bubble and smashing the target to pieces. Victorious, Sabo asked for the two hats from the sputtering game vendor.

Kitsune couldn't help the beaming smile that has occupied his face since Sabo presented Ace and him with their new hats. Ace received his hat with a bit of a red face as Haruta and Rakuyo commented on how cute he looked. Kitsune had less dignity and gave Sabo a one-armed hug as he sat his hat angle on his head. He loved the little golden medallion stuck above the left side of the visor. In the center of the accessory with a black fox with silver eyes. Ace's headwear had a pair of smiley faces, one grinning maniacally and one frowning. Just like their owner's own tempestuous moods.

The hats were actually a bit big on either boy, like with Sabo's and Luffy's, but they'd probably grow into them. This day certainly couldn't get any better.

The group just left the park and were heading off to meet with some of the commanders at one of the groves. They returned their bikes before going to the park, so the group went there on foot.

They just entered arrived at Grove #20 when the crowds suddenly went quiet.

Kitsune tilted his head in question before the commanders hustled the boys into the shadows of an alleyway. Kit watched as all the people in the streets drew to the sides and went to their hands and knees, head bowed low to the ground. Luffy tried to protest Rakuyo's hold until the older man clapped a hand over his mouth and ordered him to hush.

Ace and Sabo could feel the tension in the air. Kitsune's inner fox felt like puffing his fur, fur bristling with foxfire and teeth bared in a silent snarl.

There in the cleared path strode an oddly dressed woman that rode upon a…fishman? The woman wore some sort of suit and a bubble around her head. Her entourage didn't seem too pleasant as several of them wore shackles and collars, including the poor fishman.

Haruta muttered darkly as he drew closer to the side of the alleyway. Once the group walked far from view, the crowd relaxed. People returned to whatever they were doing as if nothing happened.

"Who was that?" asked Sabo.

Rakuyo grimaced, and Haruta answered him. "Celestial Dragons. World Nobles. The worst scum in the world. They believe themselves higher than humans and treat us _peasants_ as no more than trash or toys for their amusements. They actually think they're gods," spat the 12th division commander.

The boys paled at the word "Celestial Dragon."

"Dragon? Like the bad ones that blew up Sabo?" innocently questioned Luffy, expression wilting in memory.

Sabo quickly went to face Luffy to him, hands held to his shoulders in comfort. "Hush Luffy. You said that like I'm dead. I survived, alright?"

"Blew up Sabo?" asked Haruta with a raised brow.

Kitsune nodded grimly. In a hushed voice he recited the story quietly, "A Celestial Dragon came our home Dawn Island once. At the time, Sabo tried to set out to sea early…for reasons. He just couldn't stand his blood family anymore, especially after the fire. His ship crossed paths with the visiting Celestial Dragon's vessel, and well…Sabo survived because of this one guy that took him away for recovery. That's why Sabo has that burn scar across his eye…and most of the left side of his body. We really thought he was dead for a while. I had to help Dadan, our caretaker, tie Ace to a tree, he was so mad. And Luffy cried for nights."

"You weren't better dearest big brother," Ace reminded him, expression hard. "You worked yourself to exhaustion trying to take care of us and holding in your own sadness until you pass out one day." Thinking about the incident always made the hotheaded brother moody and melancholy.

Haruta and Rakuyo looked to the boys with new understanding. The family still didn't know much about the boys' childhood before the slavers took them away from home. All they knew right now was that Kitsune and Luffy both got their devil fruits at young ages, the boys' guardian – Shitty Gramps, Grandpa, Old Geezer, or Grandfather depending on who was speaking – practically abandoned them, leaving this Dadan Family to take care of three growing boys. And even then, the boys usually fended for themselves in a forest full of vicious, giant predators. This incident certainly explained some the older ones' over the top brother complexes for one another.

The two commanders said nothing and just gathered the boys close. After a minute or two, the group continues their way to the meeting place.

* * *

 _Shakki's Rip-off Bar_

 _Shakki, Shakki, where have I heard this name before?_

Kitsune was still drawing a blank. The name sounded just so familiar!

They finally reached their destination. The commanders had to beat down a group of thugs twice since they have entered the seedier part of Sabaody. Any of the idiot thugs managing to get too close to the four boys received a face full of foxfire if Rakuyo didn't smack them with his flail or if they didn't feel Haruta's blade.

The rough looking tavern didn't impress Ace or Sabo. Luffy just thought it looked really cool. Kit could only tip his head to the side. _Where did I hear that name?!_ The commanders just chuckled as they strode into the bar with the boys following close after once Ace shook Kit from his musings.

There in the bar sat several familiar figures drinking. Thatch and Marco were playing cards at one of the tables with some of the first and second division members, Fossa was having a drinking contest with Blenheim, and at the bar was Izo chatting with – _Shakki_! Kitsune's memories from such a long time ago unfolded.

 _/ Sitting on a stool sat a five-year-old child. In front of him, his auntie was telling him about all sorts of things going on in the world. To the side, a tall man with silvery hair was arm-wrestling with Mama. The black-haired woman was winning /_

"Auntie Shakki!" Kitsune cried in surprise. Sabo spared a confuse look at fox Zoan for the sudden outburst. He gave his brothers a sheepish grin.

"Auntie Shakki, she's my aunt. She's the lady tending the bar and is the owner. She's my uncle's wife," disclosed the eldest D with a bit of a red face as said aunt smiled before coming over to give the twelve-year-old a much protested hug.

"My, have you grown. You're in luck Kitsune, your uncle is actually here and not gadding about the island," said Shakki. On cue, a silver-haired man emerged from the back of the bar.

"Little fox, you look life you've hardly aged a day since I last saw you," rumbled the gray-haired man.

The fox Zoan gave the other a huff of protest. "Not true, Uncle Ray! I grew plenty. It's been seven years after all! J-just because Ace is taller than me-" sputtered the indignant pre-teen.

"Excuse me, did you say uncle?" a certain red-haired man questioned, eyes wide.

All the commanders in the room were looking over at them.

Oops. Kitsune forgot that no one except his bonded brothers knew about his family.

"Yeah. My mom was Silvers Lilith, Uncle Ray's younger sister. She used to take me to visit him when I was really little, before she died, and Grandfather adopted me…"

"So, wait, you're not related to Ace, Sabo, or Luffy?" questioned Thatch. The Whitebeard Pirates in the bar drew close to hear more about their younger brothers.

"Technically, none of us are related. We're brothers by bond, not blood," Sabo pointed out.

"Right. Anyways, Uncle Ray, these are my brothers, Portgas D. Ace, Sabo – he doesn't acknowledge his surname - and Monkey D. Luffy. The four of us joined the Whitebeard Pirates."

While Kitsune jumped in to explain how they ended up in the Grand Line all the way from East Blue, Marco and Thatch were absorbing the latest intel on their youngest brothers.

"Hmm. I don't think I ever heard you four's last names before. Two D's? That explains some of your appetites," remarked Marco.

Thatch laughed, "Yeah, they already eat as much as Teach. Definitely D's. Even Sabo eats a lot for his size, and Kit there has a rivaling appetite."

"Mmm, three actually," Kitsune corrected, breaking away from his storytelling. "My full name is Sol D. Silvers Kitsune. Sol D. Kit for brevity and for my own safety according to Mama and Uncle."

"I'd bet," Haruta muttered, thinking darkly to the hectic one-and-a-half years the government tore through the Grand Line and the Blues in search of the Pirate King's rumored heir. A relative of the man's right-hand man, son to one of the most dangerous mercenaries in all the seas, and a D on top of that? Sengoku would have spared no resources to see the little fox Zoan dead before his first birthday.

"Well, isn't this a day for revelations. Drinks are on me, boys. It's not every day I see my favorite nephew and meet his new family," exclaimed Rayleigh, ignoring the grumble of "I'm your only nephew, old man!" from said nephew.

"Now, Kit, why don't you finish your story?"

* * *

All the Whitebeard Pirates in the bar gathered around the four boys as they told of their life on Dawn Island, of their adventures and hardships. The boys wove a surreal tale of giant monsters and bandits, bad pirates and good pirates, corruption and bravery.

Rayleigh smiled. _Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy, huh? You sure made some interesting brothers Kit,_ reflected Rayleigh as he thought on his old captain's spitfire beloved and the man who had chased his old crew across the Grand Line for so many years.

No one but a D could stir up so much trouble. He looked forward to seeing what these four will do in the future.

He looked at the young blond boy reprimanding the older and younger children when one (or two or all three) choked on their food or nearly tried to start a wrestling match.

Rayleigh huffed back a laugh as he remembered another blond young man drawn into the trouble any D seemed to attract.

He seemed to be doing just fine, too. They all seem to be doing well.

That was a relief for this old man's heart.


	8. Chapter VII: Before the New World P3

Chapter VII: Before the New World P.3 – Fishman Island

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _Sabaody Archipelago_

 _The Moby Dick_

 _The Night After_

Izo escorted the KASL brothers to the _Moby Dick_ since their original companions decided to drink a bit too deeply into the whiskey and sake.

They were pirates and took unmitigated glee in the offer of free drinks, after all.

He waved farewell before heading back to the bar. "Marco very well can't drag all those drunken idiots from Shakki's bar by himself," he told them.

The boys enjoyed the party that the crewmembers threw after story time, but the adventures on Sabaody wore them out.

Alone in their cabin, the boys readied for bed. After a minute or two, Ace and Sabo suddenly recalled the disturbing scene from earlier that day.

"Luffy, Kit, got a minute?"

When given the choice to get a new bed, the boys decided to let Ace and Sabo take the new bed while Kit usually curled himself at the end of the old bed, the blankets burying him until only his eyes shined out. The older boy poked his head out from his little cocoon with his head crooked to the side. Luffy mumbled yes through his PJs which he had just pulled over his head.

"So, why did the two of you act weird around that Teach guy?"

The expression on Kit's face darkened. Luffy looked confused. The two brothers fidgeted for a minute before replying.

"I don't know. That guy, he just felt-"

"Wrong?" Kit suggested.

"Yeah, wrong. I got a bad feeling about him. He kind of reminded me of Bluejam," Luffy muttered, fidgeting, fingers playing with the rim of the straw hat clutched in his hands. Sabo and Ace narrowed their eyes. Luffy's hands were trembling.

 _Just from remembering_? Both boys thought, weak killing intent flaring.

Kit had crawled out of his blankets entirely and did not look much better, thin wisps of fire escaping his control, trembling with unconscious wariness and violence.

"That guy…set my instincts on edge," the Zoan haltingly explained. "To me, he felt like the monster bear from Dawn Island. He gave off that same ominous feel. No, the monster bear made me feel threatened, but the fear felt natural. Teach…he made my fur stand on end. I felt like fighting was not an option but an inevitability," hissed Kit. His voice began normal but gradually lowered and harshen with each syllable. The last sentence was barely a whisper but seemed to echo in the cabin.

"Alright. So, something's off with Teach," stated Sabo. Ace spared Sabo an incredulous glance before the top hatter continued. "I know the guy's crew. That means nakama and Whitebeard Pirates believe in their nakama. But, we cannot deny that Luffy has something of a second-sense for people's intentions. Remember the incident back at Grey Terminal? When you nearly tried to rob that guy, but Luffy stopped you? Then we found out a few days later he was some ultra-famous serial killer hiding out on Dawn Island until the old man came and kicked him into a trash mountain? Then there's Kit. You and I both know he's really wise when he feels like it."

"Excuse me?"

"For now, let's just keep an eye on him. Agreed?" Sabo continued without missing a beat. The three other brothers nodded.

* * *

 _Shakki's Rip-off Bar_

Marco groaned. He had to recruit Izo and a few of his division members to help clear out their more inebriated brothers. All he had left was a very comatose Thatch.

Leaning against the bar, the first commander took a quick swig of sake. Because of his phoenix regeneration, the inebriating effects of alcohol never really lasted long beyond the initial burn of amber liquid sliding down his throat. Inconvenient thing about most healing-based fruits. The gesture did relax him, though.

"Interesting night, Marco?" The first division commander didn't bother to look up at the silver-haired man that took a seat next to him. Typical of the sadistic Dark King, to smile at his predicament.

"Hah. Well, what did you think about the boys' stories tonight?" the older man further inquired. Marco gave him a long lazy-eyed look. He wasn't born yesterday. There was more than curiosity behind the Pirate King's former right-hand man's tone.

Especially since Marco could very well understand the unspoken emotions broiling under the pleasant façade.

"Not sure if I believe half the stuff they say - yoi. Didn't know the East Blue had giant monster-filled forests. I can't believe their grandfather abandoned _children_ in that place, much less left them in the care of bandits – yoi." Marco mouth thinned darkly. "The stories about those pirates that they've met in the Grey Terminal makes my blood boil. I also really hope that the Shanks, whom Luffy practically idolizes, isn't Red Hair, but the hat says otherwise – yoi." The phoenix's normally sleepy eyes lit with annoyance only one man could evoke. "Can't stand the guy, but at least he treated Kit and Luffy well. Those kids have been through a lot. Whoever their grandfather is better stay out of my path - yoi. What kind of guy let's his grandkids fight monkeys and alligators and _giant bears and_ _tigers_?"

Rayleigh's easy smile vanished. A heavy frown took its place before he swigged a drink from the silver flask he kept at his hip. With a sigh, the man replied.

"I don't agree with their grandfather's ideas of training, either. But considering who the guy is, I'm not as surprised. That guy's a monster, you know," stated Rayleigh.

"What do you mean? Who is their grandfather?"

"Well, I think you'll see soon enough. If I see the guy, I'll be sure to deliver your message." The gleam in the older man's eye coupled with the shark-like grin left no doubt in the first commander's head that Rayleigh may be a pretty lax guy in his retirement, but he was still an uncle, not only to Kit but his sworn brothers, too. Those guys left an impression on him.

"I'll hold you to it. And I'll do the same for you if I meet the guy before you - yoi."

* * *

 _Later that night (or the wee hours of the pre-dawn morning)_

 _*Thunk, thunk_ *

The fourth division commander groaned. That party sure was great, and Shakki always had some good booze. But the after-effects said great party left a lot to be desired. The pineapple spared no mercy for his best friend. That man positively glared unholy amusement when he dumped a bucket full of ice water on his head.

Maybe singing about cooking some pineapple chicken wasn't such a great idea. The commander glanced at the clock on the wall. He only had three hours of sleep. Who could be knocking at this hour?

 _*Thunk, thunk_ *

"Thatchy?"

That roused Thatch from thoughts of bed. He ran over to his door and opened it to reveal a teary-eyed Luffy.

"Little buddy, what are you doing here at this hour? What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream. I didn't want to wake Ace or Sabo, and Kit was gone already."

"Gone?"

Luffy nodded his head, a yawn escaping. "Mmm. He did that sometimes on Dawn Island. I saw him sitting by the figurehead."

"Alright then. Why don't you tell me all about your dream while we go visit your big brother?"

Thatch tuck Luffy into his arms and headed off onto the deck. He was so out of it when Marco dragged him back to the ship that he still wore his clothes from earlier that day which was fine for strolling out on deck. The night air carried a chill. Luffy had a blanket, so the commander tried to wrap the child a bit better in his arms.

"So, buddy, what kind of dream did you have?"

"Mmm. I saw this big, dark monster. I didn't like it. The monster kept following you and Marco and Pops around the ship. Then it ate you! It laughed, and I got really scared."

"A big, dark monster stalking Marco, Pops and me? Don't worry Luffy. I'm a pirate of the strongest crew on the seas. There's no monster that can defeat us. This is the safest place in the world for us, and no big bad monster can even think of coming on board. Now, where's your brother?"

Just as Luffy said, Kit sat on the railings. He probably felt the chill in the air and partially transformed in response, as he had long pointed ears and a white tail. He gave no indication of acknowledgement to the commander standing behind his perch.

"Hey Kit. Can't get to sleep?"

He didn't turn to face the commander and replied only with a shrug of the shoulders. Several minutes passed. The fox-hybrid sighed. In one swift movement, the fox stood in front of the commander.

"Yeah, I can't sleep. Maybe it's because I'm a bit nocturnal as a Zoan," the kid breezily remarked. Thatch was having it, Kit might be a sneaky brat, but Thatch as a master prankster could discern someone hiding something.

The Zoan paused as he took in Thatch's switched from relaxed to a stance demanding no more nonsense.

Kit sighed and began again. "Fine. I usually sleep during the night anyways. Thing is, I have too many thoughts running through my mind, I think," admitted the Zoan, ear tips drooping a bit. His tail hung limp. He lifted his face from his toes and noticed the bundle in Thatch's arms.

"What's Luffy doing out of bed?" Kit questioned a bit harshly.

"Kid had a bit of a night scare."

"Luffy? Do you want me to sing to you like back on Dawn Island?"

Luffy nodded his head. Thatch looked thoughtfully at Kit before suggesting that the boys come with him back to his cabin for the night. They could sleep with him tonight.

Thatch tucked himself and Luffy into the bed, and Kit simply shifted completely into human form before a puff of smoke covered him and a little black fox cuddled around their feet. Settled, the fox began to make an odd humming purr. A soothing melody soon seem to fill the cabin as Kit accompanied with humming with a lullaby, telepathy set on a general broadcast for the immediate area around them. The mind voice had an almost chime-like quality. Whatever the words meant, the tune relaxed Luffy who soon fell into a peaceful slumber. Kit hummed the final notes.

"I never heard that language before."

'Mmm. I don't know the name myself, but my dad taught it to me when I was really young. I still remember quite a bit of it, enough to carry a conversation. I'm better with reading it, though. The songs, though, those I remember best because I like to hum them when I'm alone.'

In the quiet of the cabin, the fox hummed another tune, drifting to sleep halfway through the song. Thatch looked to his guests with a soft smile. _They're so sweet when they're asleep. I wonder what brought about tonight's sleeping trouble? Well, I guess I'll just keep an eye on them. Night, brats. Ugh, too much booze. Those stories last night…better remember to have the boys come into the clinic for a check-up tomorrow - err, today – while I'm begging for my cure._

* * *

 _Next morning_

 _Clinic of the Moby Dick_

The top-hatted boy glanced around the sterile room.

This morning he and Ace woke up to find their brothers completely gone from their room. The boys panicked, hastily slapped on some clothes, and dashed out of their room to only slam right into their missing brothers walking back to their cabin. The pompadoured commander was with them and explained that the boys had trouble sleeping, so they stayed with him last night.

Ace gave each boy a knock to the head before the group walked over the galley for breakfast. They'd just finish clearing their last plate when Thatch asked them to come with him to the clinic.

So here they were. Thatch went over to ask the nurses for some pain meds, for which he received the coldest glares Sabo ever seen. The nurses ignored his request and asked why the boys were in the clinic today.

Did he let them get injured on the island (at this point, the nurses' gaze could turn a man to stone)? Thatch held his hands in surrender and replied that the boys were fine, he just wanted to check on a few health concerns now that they were well and settled into the family.

 _Health concerns?_ Sabo wasn't completely unaware. He read all sorts of books (he may or may not have filched from some unsuspecting High Town noble when they deigned to walk among the commoners). Those books included one or two on basic health care and nutrition.

So, he knew none of them exactly ate a balanced meal most of the time despite Kit's efforts at foraging. No offense, but a Zoan with an iron stomach and self-healing powers wasn't the best judge for non-poisonous plants. It didn't warrant them needing to see some doctor, though!

The nurses shooed off a few of the crew that came to the clinic for pain medications before one came over to look over the boys. She asked them several questions: How much have you been eating lately? _Several plates per meal._ Have you four always been so little and skinny? _Mayb-we're not that small!_ And so forth.

Thatch told the nurses a bit about their childhood, at which Ace and Sabo raised their eyebrows and shrugged. Luffy added his cheerful (although a bit confusing) bit, and Kit clarified their answers as needed. The slighter boy looked a bit sleepy (Sabo had a feeling that the Zoan was actually sleep talking a few times).

When asked about whether they knew of any existing health issues, Kit visibly snapped awake and replied that he and Ace suffered from narcolepsy (Ace more so than Kit who usually just ended up falling asleep during the day every few hours), and Luffy probably will have a milder form when he gets older if the old geezer is any indicator. Thatch and the nurse jumped a bit when they heard the sharper tone of voice from a fully-awake Kit compared to the groggily-given answers from earlier.

The nurse and Thatch stepped to the side and had an intense discussion. When they turned back to the boys, the nurse explained some of the boys' problems.

Apparently the boys' eating habits came from having a hyperactive metabolism. For Ace and Luffy (the latter of whom just smiled obliviously), that meant that the boys burned a lot more energy than normal people. Too little food or the wrong balance of nutrients could actually hurt them bad in the long run. In fact, that was why the four boys looked runtier than they should. Kit had similarly high metabolism, but it was actually more normal in comparison. Due to his devil fruit, the fox Zoan needed a lot of calories to keep up with his self-healing powers (which were always at work much like Marco's). Without them, he would still have a great appetite, just not quite as severe as the other two D's. As for Sabo, he just a normal high metabolism, probably lowering closer to normal once he hit full maturity.

With Ace and Kit's narcolepsy, the boys had to make sure they got a full night's rest, enough food, and to simply relax sometimes, so they could limit the number of attacks.

Ace tried to digest the input of new information, Kit nodded his head in understanding, and Luffy just gave that wide smile that said he didn't understand a thing ("So it's a mystery problem!"). The older brothers sighed in unison.

Sabo decided that he would look up their problems later. It never hurt to do some personal research. Ace wanted Thatch to teach him more about what the boys should eat, and Kit actually could understand the complicated and technical details, so he chatted with the nurse to find out more. Satisfied that the boys understood their problem (three out of four, at least), Thatch thanked the nurse for her help and escorted the brothers out of the clinic.

* * *

 _/ A couple days pass before the Moby Dick has restocked supplies and is coated. The Whitebeard Pirates head off to Fishman Island /_

 _Several thousand feet below sea level_

Sometimes being the eldest of his sworn brothers made Kitsune want to tear out his hair.

Luffy had decided to stand on the railings to stare at the large fish swimming by the sinking ship. A sudden jerk sent the straw-hatted boy careening before Marco swooped in to catch the falling boy. Kit banged his head against the railing before he went back to staring at the sea and trying to relax.

The coated _Moby Dick_ sure did look cool. The entire ship sat within a bubble layer that kept the sea water out for submersion. According to Sabo – and by extension Namur – Fishman Island sat at the bottom of the ocean, right below the Red Line and Mariejois, the kingdom of the Celestial Dragons and the upper echelon of the World Government.

"Kit, Kit!" There went the end for Kit's moment of quiet. He turned to his little brother who literally bounced up and down.

"Kit, do you hear that?"

The Zoan tilted his head in confusion. Honestly, since the boys were in the crow's nest, he hardly heard too much beyond the murmuring of the crew below.

But, he knew Luffy didn't mean that.

"Hear what?"

"The voices!"

"What voi-" Kit yanked his head to the side as heard the sudden yelling from below.

He saw Ace falling down onto the deck and Sabo tensing as he stood with feet planted, glaring out.

 _What startled hi-Ooh._ Staring right at the ship was the biggest fish Kit has ever seen. It had a bright red serpentine body and teeth a whole lot bigger than even old man Whitebeard. He grabbed Luffy before leaping off the crow's nest, barely gathering enough focus to slow their fall. He just managed to float them over to their brothers before ungracefully dropping by their sides, his telekinesis drained. The fish's jaws began to open. Kit suddenly felt a kind of pressure flow past him. The giant fish monster definitely felt that – and worse.

It shuddered before darting off for easier prey.

The boys were utterly dumbfounded. What could have scared a monster _that size_? Sabo lent a hand to Ace and hauled him back to his feet.

"Conqueror's haki," stated a voice behind them. The boys swung around and saw the first commander walking toward them. "The will power of a person manifested. Not many people have it. Pops is one of them. People with that power can cause animals to flee and people to fall over unconscious depending on how weak their wills are to the user. Hope that sea king didn't give you boys too much of a scare. First time seeing one?"

"Sea king? Oh. Uncle Ray mentioned wrestling with a nest of them with Mama, but I can't imagine how after seeing one," said Kit with a bit of a blush. He practically shook in his sandals when he jumped down to his brothers. Luffy still trembled in his arms.

"I-it was bigger than the Lord of the Coast! Not that I was scared!" Luffy hastily added, sticking out his lip.

"Wrestling a nest? Well, I don't know if we ever did something as rash as that, but I bet Pops has lots of other stories about his encounters with sea kings. Why don't you boy go and spend some time with the captain. It'll be quite a while before we make land at Fishman Island," Marco suggested nonchalantly.

That was just the right thing to say. The first commander gave a small smile as the boys began to relax in the presence of their father, the man's loud but gentle tones reassuring them subconsciously.

For the remainder of voyage, the boys surrounded Pops' chair as he told them of his exploits and journeys traveling to and from Fishman Island, interrupted only by the occasional laughter and a particularly 'mysterious' fish swimming past.

Between the sea king's appearance and the story telling session, Kit has completely forgotten Luffy's claims about the 'voices' he heard.

* * *

 _Fishman Island_

Never ever, EVER, again. Their little monster of a brother ate only a handful of fishman candy, and already he had managed to knock over three stands, crashed into several civilians, and ran right over one of the fishman guards patrolling the streets.

Namur was practically at the end of his rope right now as he dragged Luffy yet again from the water pools scattered about the area. Ace and Sabo had quite enough as well. They were yelling at Luffy. _Maybe they should tie their little brother up?_ Rakuyo had the right idea back on Sabaody.

It would be just until he burned off his sugar rush. Who knew that much sugar could turn Luffy into such a hell raiser?

"Okay, we should remember to never let Luffy has that much pure sugar at once," said Sabo after suffering another bruise from their brother's struggles. "Seriously, if Thatch ever offers to make sweets… Just no." Ace looked pretty fed up with his hyperactive brother's antics as he decided to hold Luffy down until he calmed down a bit.

Namur nodded his head in agreement. The shark fishman looked fairly worn out already from playing babysitter today, and the group had only been exploring for an hour. Kitsune just returned to the group and waited for the brothers to get a strong hold of the bouncy rubber child. Once they did, Kitsune pulled out a reel of strong seaweed rope he bought from a stand – which Luffy had yet to destroy – and tied Luffy up. A poof of blue smoke and the group was ready to continue their tour of Fishman Island with Luffy secured on the back of Kitsune's _yako_ form, five deep blue tails fluttering just above the tied-up boy. Not once had the kid stopped giggling or blabbering nonsensical words.

A couple hours passed. Luffy during this time had fallen into a candy coma and was just stirring. Giving the boy a minute or two and assessing that Luffy was no longer more dangerous than usual, the fox had Ace and Sabo release the boy before he shifted back into his human form. Luffy apparently did not recall do anything during his sugar rush.

Definitely no more than very small and controlled doses of sweets for Luffy, at least until he could handle it. Luffy was back to normal, though – Luffy's version of normal.

* * *

The group had just come to the Mermaid Cove. Namur had Luffy walk within the group. He did not want to play fishing for little brothers. Sabo struck up another conversation with Namur about the history and facts of Fishman Island while the group walked about the beaches. A few of mermaids swam close to the group and giggled about how cute the little human boys were. Ace's cheeks flared red, encouraging another round of laughter. He gripped the edge of his cowboy hat, pulling it over his eyes more than usual. Kit just smirked at his brother's embarrassment. He discreetly took out a little camera he purchased from Sabaody and snapped a quick picture. Unfortunately, Ace noticed the flash and tackled the elder for the camera. The raven-blond just laughed and squirmed out of Ace's hold.

His little brother may be a bit bulkier and stronger, but Kitsune had plenty of experience slipping from his brothers' angry grasps and today was no different. The cackling fox skipped just out of range from Ace's next lunge. Then, with a wink for his now murderous brother, Kitsune scuttled up one of the numerous coral formations that towered over the cove. Ace probably wouldn't find his way up to his spot for a while judging from how he barely could make some of those footholds. _Whoops, there he goes tumbling down again._

Sparing Ace one last glance, Kitsune looked out from his new perch. It was amazing, he could see the entire cove sprawled out in a field of colorful shapes.

Suddenly he saw a red blur skit just out of the corner of his eye. Kit retrained his gaze to where Sabo and Namur watched Ace try to scale the coral…and did not see Luffy.

The fox-human scrambled immediately to his feet. There he spotted the little idiot chasing after his straw hat that somehow got itself attached to one of those floating, speeding fish.

"LUFFY!"

Kitsune dove off the coral cliff. He shifted into his seven-tailed hybrid form with only moderate difficulty and gave chase. Ace, Namur, and Sabo gaped at the _zenko_ fox until it dawned on them why he just ran off.

And there went there their plans for an easy afternoon walk about.

* * *

 _Twenty-eight minutes later._

"I swear Luffy that I will beg Marco if I have to for a leash to keep you from running off all the time," snapped Kitsune. Something made of inedible material, as a just-woken up Luffy ate the seaweed one.

"Awww. But Kit, the flying fish had my hat! I had to get it back," whined Luffy, his chocolate brown eyes widened in his best conniving pout.

"No way," Kitsune deadpanned, not the least bit moved. "I'm not giving in to the puppy look. Knock it off because it's not going work this time. How many times have you wandered off by yourself now?" admonished Kitsune as he tightened his hold on Luffy's hand.

He spent nearly half an hour tracking Luffy. Now the two brothers were hopelessly lost somewhere pretty far off from the Mermaid Cove.

Luffy nearly drowned at one point during the chase when the fish with his hat dove into an underwater section. Kitsune luckily caught up to the struggling boy, and he snatched him from the water.

Luffy would not stop whining about his hat, so Kit managed to find some bubble coral and used his telekinesis to move their bubble after the fish. Now they had his hat back, and Kitsune maneuvered them to dry land just as his power failed, and he was forcefully transformed back into human form (he was working on that; he could spend an unlimited amount of time in his normal fox shape, but the more mythical ones wore him out too quickly).

This place did not make Kitsune feel at all comfortable. The streets were dark and foreboding, trash littered the streets, and the few fishmen and merfolk walking around gave the two boys hard looks. Belatedly, the Zoan remembered some of Sabo's ramblings about the underwater culture. A lot of humans disdained fish folk, leading to hard feelings in return.

If they were lucky, the locals would only quietly resent/hate them from a distance. He nonchalantly quicken their pace.

"Luffy, please listen to what I say. Whatever happens, do not let go of my hand," Kitsune murmured to Luffy as one of the fishmen leaning against a ramshackle building began to stroll toward the lone human boys.

"Hey, you two. So, what are two little _humans_ doing here all alone?" sneered the alligator gar fishman. He leaned in closer to the boys. Kitsune drew Luffy into his arms. This creep gave him chills.

Considering their surroundings, Kitsune gave the fishman his best innocent, I'm-not-a-threat grin.

"Our family is visiting the island before we head out to the New World. My little brother and I got separated, most unfortunately. If it's not much trouble, could you please direct us to the main city streets?" Kitsune asked in his politest tone. The prickling feeling worsen. "On second thought, I think I can find our way find. Pleasure meeting you, sir, and thank you for your concern."

The fox sidestepped the fishman and tried to hurry past him. He felt a sharp tug as the fishman easily lifted the two brothers' weight. The fishman dangled Kitsune by his shirt collar. Kit held Luffy tightly in his arms. The fishmen suddenly lifted his other hand and gripped the pre-teen by his neck, nearly choking him.

"You humans think you're so tough. You think you can just wander where you will on our island and let your brats run amuck. Humans like you are less than trash compared to fishmen. We're stronger, faster, _better_ , yet humans can stroll around our island and take our kinsmen without a word of protest. Well, I will show you brats why you shouldn't walk around so proudly on _our_ island. Maybe then you can tell other human scum why they should fear us."

Kitsune's heart quickened, the lack of air making his head start to go fuzzy. On top of that, the earlier chase has exhausted his powers. He may be able to manage some foxfire but against a fishman?

Said fishman squeezed his scaly hand. _Can't breathe. But if I lose consciousness or drop Luffy in this place…_

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?" rumbled someone behind them.

The fishman dropped his captives who crumpled in a heap as the sudden drop. There stood a large blue fishman. Kitsune sat up, gasping in large breaths of air. Luffy was crying. He looked up to their savior.

Kitsune guessed he was some kind of shark judging by his sharp features and the sheer strength he emitted.

"Just some brats that wandered where they shouldn't, Boss Jinbe," explained the fishman with his hands held to the sides. "I was just going to take them back to their family and –"

"Liar!" wheezed Kitsune, breaking into a fit of coughs. He glared at their attacker before directing his attention to the larger fishman. "We were just trying to find our way back to our family when this guy attacked us for no reason. He kept going on about some nonsense about humans' misguided pride and fishman superiority."

"Is that so? You better leave before I decide to call the guard for attacking children." The stare the blue fishman leveled at the other sent chills down the spine. The smaller fishman wisely decided to follow his suggestion and ran down the streets.

"So, brats, where's your family anyway?"

"Don't know. I lost them somewhere between here and the Mermaid Cove. My little brother ran off after his kidnapped straw hat, and here we were. I think the old man is at the palace, though."

"Hmm? Who's your old man?"

Luffy had stopped crying sometime during the conversation and positively beamed at the large fishman. When he asked about their pops, Luffy interjected cheerfully, "Can't remember his name – Newgoat or something? - but everyone calls him Whitebeard."

"New _gate_ , Luffy. Don't ever call him Newgoat, 'kay?" Kitsune murmured, wincing when he heard Luffy's mangled version.

"Whitebeard? You two are with Pops? Then you're in luck. I'll take you to the Ryugu Palace since I was heading there anyway. Name's Jinbe."

"Jinbe? Wait, the Jinbe of the Seven Warlords? The one White Mustache talks about a lot?" chirped Luffy, starry-eyed.

"Talks a lot about me? Yes, I'm an old friend of Pops."

"Cool! What kind of fishmen are you? Do you poo-" Kitsune slapped a hand over Luffy's mouth.

The Zoan groaned, "What is with you and that question?"

"Hahaha! What a funny little guy. I'm a whale shark fishman. Now come along. If your family knows you're missing, they'll be really worried. Also, we can't have the Whitebeard Pirates tearing through the streets looking for you, either. Might cause a bit of ruckus."

* * *

 _Ryugu Palace_

Back and forth paced the first commander. _Why am I not surprise? Even I can't keep track of that kid. Should've sent another commander with Namur just to keep an eye on Luffy._ The first commander buried his head in his hands.

The whole family wanted to search for the brats, but Pops said to wait. King Neptune heard about the missing children and had already informed and sent out his guards to look for the brats.

If they didn't receive word of the kids' whereabouts in the next hour, Pops would let a couple of the divisions to scour the island. _If something happens to the brats_ …Marco clenched his hands into his hair. At the moment, Pops and several of the commanders stood around the throne room of the palace as they awaited any news of their lost brothers.

"Sire! 'Sea Knight' Jinbe has come to the palace gates. And he two human children with him!"

Marco was not alone to breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe he will listen to Kitsune's constant nagging about getting a leash for their youngest brother. If Luffy kept this up, Marco was going to have hair as white as Pop's mustache.

* * *

 _That night in the Ryugu Palace_

 _That was a really fun adventure. The candy was super yummy!_ That bad toothy fishman scared the young boy, but he really like the blue one Jinbe.

Marco scolded him for scaring the family again and running off but that was okay because they had a feast to celebrate the crew's visit and the safe return of the two brothers. Kitsune didn't eat much in the beginning because he nodded off and fell into his plate of food. _Shishishi._

Not even Sabo's shaking or Ace's bucket of water woke him up. Thatch laughed and took the camera in Kit's pocket to take a picture. Before he could put it back, Thatch looked at some of the pictures and chuckled, snickered, and laughed.

"Man, the kid has the making of an information broker. He's got some interesting film on everyone. Nice blush Ace, by the way."

Ace tried to snatch the camera from the fourth division commander who just chortled and held the camera high.

 _*ZZzzz…Snort…_ * "Huh?" Kit abruptly woke up, his hair and face matted with water and food. Everyone laughed. Then the oldest D noticed his missing camera and joined Ace, leaping high and snatching the camera from a startled Thatch.

Thus, began the game of tag as Ace chased Kit. Luffy decided their game looked fun and joined his two brothers. He stretched his hands out and actually grabbed the camera on the return after he missed. Both older boys stared. Luffy had terrible aim even after several lessons with Izo (he just didn't have the strength or focus to aim or keep steady from the rebound).

Luffy giggled. He took the camera and dashed across the banquet table. Kitsune and Ace exchanged a look before they wrestled their brother into the dishes. Food flew everywhere: gravy stained Sabo's new coat; sake spilled onto Izo; and some pineapple juice splashed onto a certain phoenix's head.

"*Snicker* Thirsty, Pineapple Head?" Said pineapple head tossed a pie at the offending red head.

An epic food fight broke out and at the end of the night, no one left the party without some edible decoration on their person. Luffy would always remember his first trip to Fishman Island.


	9. Chapter VIII: Starry Night

Chapter VIII: Starry Night

* * *

A/N: Hi :) First of all, thanks to all reviewers, voters, followers, and viewers! I'm sorry Nala1220 if the part about the Dark King and Marco was a bit short, but I do plan to bring the Rayleigh back into the story at a later date if it's any consolidation, and he'll stay for about two chapters. It's always good to have a bit of positive family bonding after all. Not to give all the details but there will lots of family bonding *wink, wink*. Not telling when though _shishishi!_

 _Post scriptum_ : Today's July Fourth, so I thought I would do this chapter as something just for fun. Hope you all enjoy the celebrations today just as the KASL brothers will enjoy this special surprise to celebrate their entrance to the New World.

[08/03/18] Mostly unchanged except for some quick fixes here and there.

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

Behold the Flaming Turkey – Thatch's Great Prank

 _The Moby Dick_

Marco knew something was up. Thatch had holed up with the boys for hours that morning after breakfast. He would have tried overhearing their plans with Observation haki, but every time he tried he would suddenly hear someone raucously singing _in his head_. That damn fox-brat could be the ultimate prankster on board if he could cloud haki users' senses like that.

'…La ti DOOO! La di DAAHHH!'

 _Shut up! I'm not trying to listen in already!_

' _Shahehehe_ , I know that. Just don't call me a "damn fox" where I can "hear" it. You sound as clear as day, you know?'

Maybe he can bribe a cook to experiment with fox meat tonight.

 _Ahhh, poor, poor Marco. This is going to be epic, shahehehe._

 _Dinnertime_

 _The Galley_

"Ah, Marco, I don't think glaring at dinner will make it vanish anytime soon," chuckled Vista.

"…"

Thatch had decided that tonight the crew will have turkey for dinner and a flambéed pineapple pie for dessert. Everyone knew what inspired tonight's dinner. It was safe to say that the phoenix was not too please at the moment.

"Hiya Marco!"

And there came in the four co-conspirators. Sabo tried to keep a straight face, Kitsune just had his trademark smirk, and the other two didn't even try to hide their too wide grins or poorly covered chuckles.

"So~o, what exactly has you four so happy - yoi?" Marco asked, his usually bland face a bit scarier than usual. He definitely knew the boys would have a hand in whatever prank the fourth division commander cooked up tonight.

"Well, let's just say that dinner just an appetizer to the main entrée," hinted the other Zoan with a closed eye smile. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Thatch really wanted our first trip into the New World to be memorable. What did you think of my little concert by the way?" Marco didn't bother to rely, opting to land a blow on the fox's head.

"Oww. I guess everyone's a music critic, _shahehehe._ Going to eat that?" Marco had taken all precautions, and since his friend was the head chef, he had switched his plate twice, once with one of his division members, a second time with one of his fellow commanders just to be sure. He just raised his brow in reply before eating.

* * *

 _Later that night_

"Shhh, Luffy. My will-o-wisp spell only works to a point," hissed Kitsune to his bumbling little brother. They had the pleasure of setting the room up while Thatch worked on the main part. Ace and Sabo were outside working on the final touches.

"Really? How?"

Kitsune grinned a bit at the question. "Hehe, Marco really should have known better. Then again, I don't think he knows about my _ninko_ 's hypnosis powers _._ A little fire show beneath my irises, some direct eye contact, and ta-dah. But I could only suggest he sleep a bit deeper than usual tonight, not to sleep through the night no matter what. It only worked so well because dinner riled his emotions and disturbed his natural mental shields. Plus, he expected his food and drink to be spiked. You wake him and the spell breaks."

 _Shahehehe! Just wait until morning Marco. It'll make dinner quite symbolic._

* * *

 _Morning_

The boys and Thatch relaxed out on the deck like they haven't a care in the world. Luffy happily sat on Pops' lap and pointed out the fish swimming by. Soon the ship would surface. Kitsune couldn't help his widening smirk as he thought about how perfectly timed the first commander's discovery and the official entrance to the New World will be.

Just as the _Moby Dick_ surfaced, the crew could hear a furious shriek in the direction of the first commander's room.

Faster than the perpetrators could react, a bright blur rushed by to seize the fourth commander.

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY - YOI?!" Ace snickered, Sabo barely could hold back his grin, and Luffy just rolled around the deck, hysterically laughing at the commander's new look. Thatch had somehow gotten hold of some special dyes and decided Marco's pineapple hairstyle would look better with some color. The boys had to give it to Thatch; the man sure knew his paints. Marco's hair now made him look like his head was on fire rather than its usual pineapple impression. Thatch had dyed it some glaringly lurid reds, orange, and neon yellow.

Pops took one look at his eldest son before joining the laughter that chorused from the surrounding crew members.

"Ha, I think it's a good look on you, old buddy. You kind of did half the work. You must have lost it since the dye only reacts if set on fire. Now you won't have us calling you a pineapple, eh walking bonfire?"

Marco glared before smiling. * _Splash_.*

He apparently thought Thatch needed a salt bath. The pompadoured man sputtered as he swam to the surface and ranted obscenities about the phoenix. The boys chortled until Marco directed his evil grin at them.

"Don't think I forgot about what you four did to my cabin - yoi." That half-lidded look Marco wore did nothing to detract from the very evil gleam in his eyes. Not even the white feathers and glitter stuck to his clothing could lessen the impact.

The boys began to back up from their various points on the deck. Luffy ducked behind Pops' chair, Kitsune skittered to the right, and Ace and Sabo accidently backed into the deck's curved railings.

Sabo tried reason. "Come on Marco, it's not that bad. I'm sure that it won't take us long to clean the paint from your cabin walls."

"Yeah, and the glue does wash away eventually. Your clothes will just be extra decorative for a day or two," added Ace. The two boys had created catapult contraptions that would fling gluey glitter and feathers the minute the commander walked out with the one jacket untouched by Luffy's painting skills.

 _*Splash*_ Two more people joined the yelling Thatch.

Marco turned to the devil fruit users. Luffy's head peeked from behind Pops' chair while Kitsune crouched down in the crow's nest. *Grab. Smack. Toss. Repeat.*

They wouldn't be in danger of drowning since he threw the two right where their compatriots were still shouting.

* * *

The Starry Night Festival

 _Nox_

The journey to the island could have done without the prank. The first commander couldn't get the hair dye to wash out in time for tonight. His usual jacket still had feathers clinging to the fabric. At least he had the miscreants repaint his pink walls back to their original colors when they finally climbed back aboard the ship. Whatever. If any of them laugh during the festivities, he'll just extend their time on cleaning duty. Right now, he had to help the crew ready for the festivities.

"Wow! Why is it do dark? It was just sunny a little while ago?" Luffy sat perched on Whitebeard's lap, dripping paint from fixing Marco's room.

"This is the island of Nox. The name means _night_ and for a good reason. In the Paradise side of the Grand Line, there is an island called Enies' Lobby, called the island of eternal daylight. It never gets dark there. Here in the New World, we have the island of Nox which never sees daylight. The islanders have gotten quite used to the dark and developed all kinds of way to light their island as needed. Many of them have developed unique abilities to see get around their island as well."

"Cool! So, we'll be allowed to explore the island?"

"Just as soon as Marco finishes discussing our plans for tonight, my son. You see, the navigators planned our arrival just so. You brats are in luck because tonight the island celebrates their Starry Night Festival."

"Starry Night Festival?" Stars of his own shone in Luffy's eyes. "What's that?"

"A very special holiday for the island. Once a year the sky over the island undergoes a change that makes the night sky especially illuminous. The villagers love to throw a party in the hours before this event because the sky goes completely pitch black just before the Starry Night Effect. They even have a contest where teams will compete to see whose fireworks displays best match the brilliance of the Starry Night."

"Oooh, FIREWORKS! Can we go? Can we go?"

" _Gurarara_. This island is fairly peaceful despite being one of the first islands in the New World. We'll have some divisions guarding the ship, but people can watch the displays from almost anywhere on the island. But don't worry. We'll be attending the festival, which is starting shortly. Although, brat, you might want to join your brothers and clean-up."

"I'm going to tell my big brothers! Thanks Pops!" The little boy hopped off Whitebeard's lap. He scurried off to find his brothers and regale them with what he learned. Whitebeard watched his youngest son run off, chuckling in amusement at the antics of his youngest.

 _The Festival_

 _Wow._ The boys gaped in awe as another great fireworks display lit up the night. Thatch had come during the celebrations before and knew the best observation points. Here on the cliffs, the boys could watch the villagers prepare the fireworks. * _Fwoosh, crackle *_. The boys cheered as the image of Pops' mark lit up the sky. Marco had contacted the island just before the crew came to Fishman Island, and the villagers had prepared several displays just for their much-welcomed guests. _*Fwoosh, crackle._ The next fireworks looked like a phoenix flying past a…Pineapple? Thatch doubled over in laughter while Marco showed no reaction beyond kicking his buffoon of a friend.

"Ouch. What did you do that for?"

"None of the stuff had washed out yet – yoi. Plus, I know you said something to the villagers when I had to duck out for a minute."

"How could you suspect _me_ of all th-" The phoenix didn't want to hear it and just swung his friend's legs out from under him. "You deserve it anyways – yoi."

"At least you fit in with the festivities," grumbled Thatch. It was true. Many of the villagers sported glowing or glittery decorations on their clothes. Compared to some, like the man with a string of shining beads stitched to every seam or the woman with a great big glowing feathered hat, Marco's amended coat hardly stood out.

Pops just chuckled as his sons resumed their bantering. His youngest sons loved the festival.

Kitsune even decided to contribute to the festival as he transformed fully into his little black fox form. With a look of utter concentration, he lit several large and colorful fireballs which he flung high into the sky. They exploded spectacularly, the released flames dancing wildly in the black sky. The hundreds of smaller flames skittered about before forming various images from what looked some of Thatch's pranks, to Whitebeard standing tall and proud amidst his sons, to the various adventures the KASL brothers have had with their new family: a red Luffy floating a blue bubble, Ace chasing his brothers around, Sabo winning his brothers' new hats.

All the noise dwindled down as the crowd watched the sky with bated breath. Not a single light lit the island. Gradually the blackness of the sky retreated, replaced by an enormous silver full moon and an incredible star-filled sky. The boys stared in wonder. They have never seen a night sky quite like this. The sky practically lit the island like day. Whitebeard smiled down on his children, old and new alike. No matter how times a person sees this, the night never fails to leave one awe-inspired.


	10. Chapter IX: Enter Red-Hair! P1

Chapter IX: Enter Red-Hair! P1 – Yay! A Visit from an Old Friend

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

 _Some months after arriving in the New World_

* * *

 _Moby Dick_

Something was up. The crew seemed a bit more tense than usual. Even Luffy could read the atmosphere. Said straw-hatted boy went over to one of the commanders – Jozu – and asked him what was going on.

Considering said commander had hefted a case of cargo larger than himself, Ace pulled Luffy back before something could go wrong – like if Luffy slipped and tripped against the commander just as he lifted the box up. Kitsune was glad he was standing just behind Luffy when the rubber-brained boy began to fall over nothing and steadied him.

"The crew is readying the ship for the arrival of a rival emperor. Red-Hair asked for a meeting. Remember that crazy pirate that requested an audience with Pops a few weeks ago?"

"Oh. That guy was funny. He got all angry and red, and Pops called him a brat," giggled Luffy.

Kitsune rolled his eyes at his brother's take on the comical scene of some rookie parading about like he was something big in the face of Pops. Kitsune covered a snicker when he remembered Pops tearing the guy's letter apart and replying that the "Red-Hair brat" should come himself if he wants to discuss anything important.

The crew had the boys staying in their room as a precaution since they didn't want just anyone to know that Whitebeard had four brats on board. Kitsune only overheard part of the conversation with his fox-enhanced hearing. None of the boys knew the name Red-Hair, although Luffy actually looked a bit thoughtful upon hearing the name. Kid still couldn't remember where he heard it.

"So, who is Red-Hair?" Turning backward, Kit saw Sabo had joined the conversation.

"Red-Hair, as in 'Red-Hair' Shanks, captain of the Red-Hair Pirates," answered Thatch. He had noticed Jozu talking to the boys and strolled over to see what had perked the boys' curiosity.

"Shanks?!" cried Luffy. The boy practically had stars in his eyes at the mention of the captain who came to Foosha Village those years ago.

"Hmm, Shanks. Ah! I remember him. Guy called me a dog with an overblown hairdo when I first showed him my abilities," commented Kitsune. He smirked as usual, but his silvery blue eyes glinted with something other than harmless intent.

"You guys know Red-Hair?" exclaimed Thatch. The pre-teen shrugged his shoulders.

"Luffy and I met him a couple years ago. Ace and Sabo don't know him personally since Grandfather took us to Dadan's Country some time afterwards. Luffy talks about him a lot, though. The Red-Hair Pirates more or less made our hometown of Foosha their base for a year before they left for the Grand Line," explained Kitsune. "I like the guy's attitude, reminds me of how Luffy can be. I also respect him for saving Luffy, but Luffy really liked the guy, practically worshipped him. He's Luffy childhood idol. _And_ , he's the reason Luffy's dream is to be the pirate king one day."

"Mmm, Shanks gave me his straw hat. I made a promise," declared Luffy, his voice rising, "a promise to take good care of his hat and to one day return it when I'm a great pirate like him!" Luffy practically shouted the last part. Ace and Sabo nodded their heads, they already knew the story of how Luffy got his treasured hat.

Jozu had finished loading some of the cargo and gave a small smile at his little brother's heartfelt words. Thatch chuckled, thinking that Luffy had a big promise to keep.

"Well, isn't that something little brother? Then you might enjoy the visit a whole lot more than our resident fire turkey."

"Oh?"

"Uh huh. You'll see why. Whenever we meet up with Red-Hair, the idiot keeps asking Marco the same question every time. It's a bit of a tired gag between the two of them."

"I see," chuckled Kitsune. He knew Shanks had a lot of strength and charisma but lacked a bit in his maturity and subtly when he felt particularly lazy. Or maybe he just like annoying people - a lot like Luffy, actually.

"The _Red Force_ approaches! They're pulling up to the portside," called the lookouts.

The boys stopped in their reminiscing with Thatch. The fourth and third commander walked over to the main deck, the boys trailing after. Thatch asked them to stay with him or another commander during the initial meeting. He also told the boys to not be ashamed or startled if people, including themselves, fell unconscious.

Kitsune lean forward in interest. Thatch said Red-Hair always released a wave of Conqueror's haki when boarding the _Moby Dick_.

"Oh, like what Pops did to the sea king?" chirped Luffy.

"Exactly. And we don't know what it will do to you four, so keep quiet and listen to us."

"That man's will is formidable," added Jozu. The boys hardly ever heard the third commander speak, and his deep voice made even Kitsune jump a little in surprise. "So, stay back little brothers."

All the commanders on board the Moby Dick stood in a ring around the deck. Technically only some of the commanders - first, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eight, tenth, twelfth, fifteenth, and sixteenth - stood in attendance, as the rest sailed on the other ships of the Whitebeard Pirates and watched over various parts of Pops' territories. Many members of the rest of the crew lined the sides of the main deck as well, but Thatch said that most will fall over from Shanks' haki, but their brothers were too stubborn to listen.

Marco waved for the boys to stand behind him and some of the other commanders.

The air trembled. Walking over the connecting gangplanks strode in 'Red-Hair' Shanks. He just stepped onto the _Moby Dick_ when Kitsune first felt the wave of pressure pass over him. He looked over to his brothers. They looked no worse for wear, and Luffy just practically jumped up and down in his sandals when saw Shanks. Just as promised, a series of thumps from falling bodies ensued after the wave of haki. Kitsune sighed in relief. The brothers were largely unaffected by the haki.

"Oi, Red-Hair! Quit it! You're making a mess of our crew!" shouted Marco. The pineapple head's usually plain expression hinted at irritation.

"Oh, Marco, commander of the first division. Want to join my-"

"Never! Whitebeard's my captain!"

It hasn't even been five minutes and already Shanks has made the cool and collected first commander snap in anger. Kitsune couldn't help but chortle behind a slapped hand, as he stood behind Jozu. He could even hear Thatch snickering from his seat on the railings. A squeal and shout from the side revealed that Ace had lost hold of Luffy who had happily ran over to Red-Hair.

"Anchor?"

Kitsune wished he had his camera. The dumbfounded look on Shanks's face was too precious with Luffy dancing in front of the fearsome emperor.

 _Ahh…no point in hiding_ _anymore_. Kitsune shrugged helplessly at Jozu when he walked around the hulking commander to stand by Luffy. Ace and Sabo got the same idea.

"Errr…? Kit? And more children? I guess I know the answer to my question."

" _Gurarara_! And what question were you going to ask me, brat?" called Whitebeard from his chair.

"Oh, I just came to check on why you've been sticking to safer waters. Some rookies had gotten it in their minds to skulk around the bordering sea between yours and mine, so I took care of them for you. So~o, Newgate, any reason you have _children_ on board, especially since I know for a fact that at least two of them come from East Blue?" inquired Shanks none too politely. "These seas are too dangerous for them! What if they get hurt in a skirmish, or even caught in a full-fledged battle? Or if the marines find out about them?" Shanks' voice practically shook with anger and worry. The man really did care a lot about them.

"We know what we are doing, Red-Hair brat. My crew can more than take care of their youngest brothers. And as you should know, these children are more than meets the eye. They can fend for themselves until a commander comes to their aid, and we plan on training the brats. I have taken them for my sons, and I will not change that." Pops stood up when he said the last part.

Shanks shook his head in disbelief but sighed. There really is no changing an old man's mind concerning his sons.

"Alright Newgate. Oi, Luffy? These guys been treating you two well? Oh, and who are these other kids?"

"Hi Shanks! These are my other older brothers!"

Ace and Sabo took a step forward to introduce themselves. They bowed low, thanking Shanks for saving Luffy when he was younger, demonstrating the manners they gained in practicing with Makino on Dawn Island.

"Pleasure to meet the man that saved my little brother. Thank you. My name is Sabo."

"Thank you for saving our little brother. I'm Portgas D. Ace."

Portgas D. _Ace?_ Shanks smiled jovially at his new friends. "Any brother of Luffy's is a friend of mine. Hey, old man! How about a party?"

Marco raised his eyebrow at the audacity of the red head. Pops just laughed, calling Shanks a "cheeky brat" but agreeing to throw a party to thank the man that saved one of their brats long ago. Thatch just clapped his unamused friend on the back.

"Better go prepare the food. Something tells me that we might need another supply stop if Red-Hair's crew drinks all the booze again. Those brats keep eating all the food, too."

* * *

 _Late Hours of the Night_

 _Somewhere on the deck of the Moby Dick_

 _Wow, it was nice seeing Shanks_ , thought Luffy. Right now, the party was in full swing.

As Luffy walked, he saw several lightweight crew members keel over from too much drinking. Shanks decided to regale the Whitebeard Pirates of the antics of Luffy and Kit from their time in Foosha Village. Kit lobbed a special foxfire fireworks ball at Shanks' head when he mentioned a certain incident involving a ditzy Kit. _Shishishi_.

He remembered how some rare plants that Lucky Roo found accidentally blew from his hands to Kit's face. His big brother acted really funny then! He kind of reminded Luffy of his drunk big brothers in the way he kept swaying around the bar and would smile and laugh at random things. Kit's cheeks turned crimson because Shanks recovered and continued speaking despite his singed hair.

Luffy loved to party with Shanks, but he really needed to find the restroom with all that juice he drank. He didn't want to bother his older brothers and waved off his pirate brothers' offers to walk with the kid, stating that he was a big kid and could walk by himself.

 _*Fwoosh_.*

The little boy looked over the railings. Drifting in the sky just in above the rails was a big and shiny thing. Luffy did not hesitate to hop on the rails and reach out for the falling shiny object. The boy just grabbed the falling object. _A…feather?_

Suddenly, the boy felt something clasp around his back, and the next thing he knew was that he was flying. But not the good flying like when he begged Marco to give him a ride in his phoenix form. No, this type of flying made Luffy's stomach tumble and his sides hurt from the sharp edges digging into them. He tried to shout, but the bird's tight hold made his voice choked and reedy.

* * *

 _The main deck_

"Help."

Kitsune's head jerked up. _Luffy?_

After he chased Shanks around the deck for several minutes, the Zoan resigned himself to just curling up to the side of the deck and watching the two crews party and get drunk. He shift-shaped into his larger _yako_ fox in order to accompany the relaxing bodies of Ace, Sabo, Luffy, and Marco. Dealing with Red-Hair gave the first commander headaches apparently. The big five-tailed fox warmed his brothers against the night's chill. Luffy had just left a little while ago to find the restroom.

"Hey, Marco." The first commander sat up from his resting position against the large fox's haunch. "Mind if I go check on Luffy? I thought I heard him. It wasn't very loud, maybe closer to a whisper, but my ears picked up the word _help._ "

The first commander's expression shadowed, eyes fully opened and dark with emotion.

"I'll go find him. Stay here and keep an ear out for any more noises. Only an idiot would attack two emperors at once, but we can't be too sure."

Sitting on the planks sat a familiar straw hat.

* * *

The party grounded to a halt once Marco sent word about his discovery. Luffy would never leave his treasured straw hat lying on the ground.

A watchman reported that he thought he saw a glimpse of some sort of shadow in the sky, but it faded out of sight only a second later. It looked like some sort of bird.

Namur searched the surrounding sea and found an odd and large feather caught in the ship's side. Some sort of giant bird had most likely carried off their youngest brother.

Navigation reported that the nearest island was one they have yet to visit on the edges of their territories: Rocke Island.


	11. Chapter X: Enter Red-Hair! P2

Chapter X: Enter Red-Hair! P.2 – Get Back Luffy!

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _The Moby Dick_

 _Night of the Disappearance_

Everyone scrambled around the deck in the next several hours as both ships prepared to head to Rocke Island.

The island was a complete mystery. The navigators could not find any record of prior explorations to the island. The only accounts even mentioning the island only warned ships should sail pass the seas surrounding the island. Ships setting anchor in those seas often lost one or two passengers, mostly small children.

When Ace overheard the navigator report this to the captain and Marco, he…freaked.

Putting it nicely.

Marco had to physically toss Ace into the cabin when the captain gave orders for their youngest brothers to stay put in their cabin until they came to Rocke Island.

Sabo and Kitsune took this a little better, as they just meekly followed Marco and the struggling, yelling Ace. Once the door closed and the lock clicked into place, Ace just sat on the edge of the bed and glared at his less-than-helpful brothers. Sabo just shrugged helplessly, his hands held in a gesture saying 'what can I do?'

Ace growled before looking down at his hands. Kitsune finally had enough.

"Quit sulking, _little_ brother! Sabo and I can't exactly go against _Marco_ , much less Pops! We just have to wait. Panicking will only make things worse. At least we can worry in here without making the others feel worse than they already feel. Can't you understand that everyone, both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Hair Pirates are just barely keeping their cool? Luffy's disappearance affects all of us. But we need to stay strong for our little brother. When we reach the island, we can all work out our brother complexes, but right now all we can do is wait!" Kitsune had raised his voice until he yelled the last part. His whole body shook with emotion. Sabo walked over to where the fox Zoan stood and laid a calming arm around the older boy.

"Kit, you're being just as bad as Ace. You need to take a minute. You holding in your emotions isn't healthy. I know that the two of you as the oldest are trying to put a brave front, but you need to release some energy sometime before you explode," said Sabo. Streams of tears had started flowing down his cheeks sometime during his speech. On the bed, Ace leaned his head down, hands clenched, as tears dripped down to the wooden floor. Kitsune tried to stifle a sob but seeing his brother's tears broke the dam. Kitsune let out a wail of fear and anger.

" _Why can't I protect anyone? I couldn't stop those slavers, and now Luffy might be in the belly of some monster without us there to save him!"_

Kitsune only gave voice to the dark fears seeded since the latest in a long list of near-death experiences the older boys regretted.

After a while, the brothers calmed down. Ace drew an arm across his face to wipe away his tears.

Head lifted defiantly, Ace declared, "No stinking bird will keep our brother away from us. Luffy is OUR little brother, and we'll protect him no matter what! We've face lots of oversize animals before. That's bird or whatever will just be a big ol' chicken when we get ahold of it."

Sabo nodded slowly. "Yeah! Nothing better happen to Luffy, or that bird will pay! Luffy is definitely fine."

"And we need to trust the others will do everything to get to Luffy as fast as they can. We have two Emperors on our side. No mangy beast can stand up to Pops and Shanks. I'll just roast it if that bird tries to snatch anyone else!" Kitsune swore.

* * *

 _Commanders' Meeting Room on the Moby Dick_

No matter how his nurses chided, Edward Newgate couldn't relax, not when his youngest son was missing. He took a swig of sake, riling his nurses once more, before redirecting his gaze to his assembled sons. Beneath the bored expression of his first son, Whitebeard could see the evident worry furrowing one of his oldest children's brow.

All was quiet as more pirates shuffled into the room.

The elite members of the Red-Hair Pirates also attended the meeting. The normally carefree rival captain Shanks scowled. Like Newgate, the captain cared deeply for the young straw-hatted child. Once everyone took a seat, Newgate took a deep breath and began their meeting.

"So what information do we have?"

"Not much – yoi," Marco began. "As the navigators mentioned earlier, the island from which the kidnapper most likely originated is a total enigma. No sailor, marine, or pirate has ever successfully made shore and returned to the best of known knowledge – yoi. Nothing but fables and legends surround these waters. We've never investigated these seas ourselves because the severe isolated nature of the island."

"The same with us. The island technically inhabits the gray boundary between our territories, and the seas here are all but empty of any human life or civilization for hundreds of kilometers around. One would have to prepare just to sail to the island itself," remarked Benn Beckman, Red-Hair's first mate.

"Which why it made an ideal meeting place for our ships," added Izo. "No rival crew or marine vessel would have had enough time to prepare to sail these waters by the time word got out our ships were heading here, not before we had already met. The position on our joining borders makes it less than ideal for rival emperors to launch an attack when they must sail deep into our collective territories.

"The lack of knowledge will be a problem. We do not know what kind of enemy we will be dealing with when we finally land. I suggest that only high-level officers, commander-level, explore the island at first and report back to the ships via baby transponder snails," proposed Haruta.

"Good idea. What say you, Red-Hair brat?"

"Alright with us. We should probably send groups of three to investigate and report back."

Head nodded all around.

"If any one finds Luffy, you are to report this immediately, but do not pursue until the other groups arrive," concluded Newgate.

The crews continued planning out the finer details of their plan. The captains dismissed their crews in order for them to get a couple hours of sleep as no one had gone to bed since the news of Luffy's disappearance.

Only Whitebeard and Marco remained.

"Pops…" his loyal first mate interrupted his thoughts. "What if the brat is hurt - yoi? There's no telling what is happening to him now. The smithies on board agree that the feather we found is some sort of metal. A bird with feathers like that could tear Luffy apart!"

"I understand your worry, my son. But we cannot act rashly. An island in the New World, from which no pirate crew had successfully explored and lived to tell about it, poses a very real danger, even to us. We need to take every precaution so that Luffy can arrive safely home. And, Luffy will return home," assured Newgate.

His eldest son dropped his lazy façade in favor of a very pensive and distraught expression. The straw-hatted boy had grown on all his older sons, even the cool phoenix whom he annoyed so much in the beginning.

In the distance, the shadow of an island appeared on the horizon. The _Red Force_ and the _Moby Dick_ would arrive in the early morning hours.

* * *

 _Rocke Island_

"Waaaah!"

The weird bird flew for what felt like hours (about 45 minutes). An island came into view. It had jagged mountain peaks all over and a dense jungle that reminded the boy of the forests of Mt. Corva. _I hope I don't have to fight monkeys here, too, like what Grandpa made me do in that forest,_ randomly thought Luffy.

The bird carrying Luffy in its talons did not resemble any bird that the boy has ever seen. It was big, bigger than Kit when he turned into that giant fox bigger than the blue one; he called it his final form, and it looked as big as a horse, but not as big as Pops.

Kit wasn't nearly that big, but this bird might be _almost_ as big as Pops. It had pretty small feet, though. Not even a rubber boy could escape the tight hold it had on him. Plus, the feet _hurt._ They felt hard and smooth and sharp-edged. Even the feathers looked shiny like Vista's swords. _Swords hurt, too._

Luffy had lost himself in his thoughts to what the mystery bird was when the bird suddenly plunged down. The boy shrieked in fear. His Gum-Gum rocket was not nearly as fast as this. Luffy suddenly felt the feet loosen, and then the boy tumbled into something that reminded him of a bird's nest, a big bird's nest.

 _Oww_. The straw hatted boy rolled until he hit the raised edge, his body curled upside-down. * _Scrreee! Screeeee!*_

The sudden screeches startled the boy who flopped forward. Just in front of the rubber boy sat two iron grey birds a lot smaller than the other bird, but much bigger than Luffy. They looked like they had spikes instead of fluffy feathers. They then took notice of their mother's gift. They began to scoot toward the young boy.

"Nn-nice baby birdies. Nice mystery birdies. I'm not very tasty. See, I'm made of rubber." Luffy stretched his face to show the curious chicks. One tilted its oversized head which dwarfed the little boy. *Pluck _. Boing._ Pluck _. Boing. Screeeeee!*_

Oops. The birds now decided Luffy was a neat new toy. The boy screamed as their sharp beaks pulled at his body. A few of their nips left little cuts that stung.

"Knock it off! Gum-Gum Bullet!" Luffy actually managed to punch one of the irritating birds, knocking it over. Unfortunately, Luffy had forgotten about the mother bird flying just above them.

* _SCREEE-AH-EEE_!* Mama Bird landed just behind Luffy. A visible shiver went through the rubber boy. He slowly turned his head. The giant bird flapped, smacking the rubber boy who flew out from the next hit, rolled down the mountain side, and plunged into the dense jungle below.

 _Meanie bird! Owww._ Luffy now had a nasty collection of cuts and scrapes. His hands bled, and the hit from the big bird tore his shirt and ripped a huge scrape across his back. * _Sssss_.* The boy scrambled to his feet. And faced a large pair of narrowed yellow eyes. _Kit! Ace! Sabo! Thatch, Marco, Pops!_ "ANYONE, HELP!"

* * *

 _The Jungle_

The brats just wouldn't stay where it was safe.

Earlier when the ships finally docked at the island, the boys had intercepted the commanders heading for shore and _demanded_ to come along. Marco had shook his head and told them to stay put.

They adamantly refused.

Jozu went to grab Ace when Kit decided to finally act. The boy had been practicing and actually managed to knock over Jozu with a well-timed tackle coordinated with pipes the other boys bought at one of the islands during their stay in the New World. Jozu didn't want to hurt any of them and didn't expect the boys to pull off such a stunt.

The other commanders went over help Jozu with the boys, but Kit had a whirlwind of fireballs zooming around the group; one singed Thatch's sleeve, so Kit had evidently decided not to pull back his powers.

Frustrated, Marco conceded. They boys would not let them go off to the island without a big ruckus. Pops had noticed the commotion and said that the boys had a right to rescue their little brother. So long as one commander accompanied each of them, they could help search for Luffy.

Six of the commanders and three of the Red-Hair Pirates, including Red Hair himself, had split themselves into four groups after including their extra three people.

The four other commanders stayed back on the ship in reserve. 'Red-Hair' Shanks decided to join Marco and Ace's group.

* * *

"Something is definitely wrong with the island," commented the nonchalant Shanks as he slashed a huge griffin dashing from the brush just minutes ago.

Barely fifteen minutes into the jungle, and the group had suddenly stumbled into the nest of enormous raptor-headed lions that easily towered over the two men. Marco nodded his head in agreement as he changed his arms to wings to give him leverage as he kicked at another lunging beast. Ace covered the emperor's back, swinging his pipe.

His monstrous strength made it a far deadlier a weapon than one would think. Two griffins already laid in an unconscious heap around the three fighters.

Between the one-armed emperor, the first commander, and the hot-tempered child, they held off the raptors with only minimal damage.

But these monstrous birds were tough, Shanks would give them that. Conqueror's haki might just rile the cantankerous bastards even more than his earlier use.

"Help! * _Waaaaah_!* Pops! Ace! Kit! Sabo! Marco! * _AAAaaah_ …!*"

"Luffy? LUFFY! Get out of the way you overgrown chicken!" Fueled by fear and worry, Ace smashed his pipe against another eagle-headed griffin, instantly knocking the monster out with a * _crack*._

Marco and Shanks redoubled their efforts and soon they wiped out the group of griffins. Once the last griffin keeled over, Ace spared not even a glance at his companions before running headlong in the direction of Luffy's voice.

"Ace! Come back here, kid! Damn it!" cursed Shanks. Marco grabbed the young emperor as he turned to run after their young charge.

"Focus - yoi. One of us has to report this to Pops and the rest of the search groups. I can cover more ground in my phoenix form - yoi. There should be enough room for me to fly. I can catch up to Ace and hopefully get to Luffy sooner than you - yoi. If you stay here and wait for reinforcements, you are welcome to bail me out of any trouble if whatever that got the kid is more than what I can handle alone. Deal - yoi?"

Shanks clenched his hands but nodded in agreement. Someone had to inform the rest of the pirates, and the young brothers' need outweighed Shanks' worry and fear. Still, the emperor walked over to tree. He punched it, knocking it over.

"Feel better? Good - yoi. Here's the transponder snail for Pops. He'll relay the information to the others –yoi." stated Marco. He turned toward the direction that Ace disappeared.

Blue and gold flames consumed his body until a brilliant phoenix stood in his place. Giving a great cry, it shot off into the jungle depths. Shanks watched for a minute and then turned to the transponder snail in his palm.

"Newgate, we got a lead on Luffy."

* * *

 _The Mountain Aeries_

'Why did we choose to explore this place again Vista?' asked Kit. Another talon swept over the red fox.

"According to you, the best place to find a large predatory bird would be to look in a high place," scoffed Thatch. The chef had two of the monster birds trying to corner him. He could barely fend them off, steel swords clashing against steel feathers. "What are these things?"

"I agree, Thatch, these are definitely not a natural bird species that I recognize." Vista had already managed to knock back one bird, but another bird began to swoop down from the flock flying overhead. "But Kit did mention we'd find predatory birds. I'd say these would count."

"Hmm. I think I've read about these birds somewhere,' remembered Kit as he downed three of the flying birds with foxfire heat seekers. The bright red fire arrows locked onto their targets and exploded upon impact. "The stories called them Stymphalian birds. Nasty creatures made of metal. They don't like noise too much. I think we woke them up when Thatch caused that rock slide earlier."

"You had as much a hand at it as I! And when did you know so much? I didn't know you knew how to read, much less like books."

"I do like books, _plebeian_. You don't see me reading most of the time because I'm usually hiding in a crevasse or nifty hidey hole. A fox can fit in a lot of tiny spaces, and are even better at finding them, you know, _shahehehe._ I like quiet places with no one around when I read, no interruptions that way. And where did you think I learned to speak so well? Uncle Ray is hardly the most elegant of speakers, and have you heard how Luffy speaks most of the time? I did grow up with him," added the blue-eared hybrid as he turned to the bemused fourth commander.

"Hmm, shouldn't we focus more on the fight?"

"Good point Vista. Thatch, DUCK!"

During their conversation, one of the birds overhead decided that Thatch looked particularly tasty. It landed right behind the commander and snapped its bronze beak. Kit leapt into action. He gathered as much heat as he dared and launch himself at the bird with a cry, shifting fully into his _yako_ form.

'Foxfire Burning Blitz!'

Kitsune's body slammed into the bird, flinging both of them just over Thatch who had dropped onto the ground. They crashed into Thatch's opponents. The heat from Kitsune's core blazed free, the star mark at his throat shining pure white. Flames exploded.

The birds gave a shrill cry as the heat melted several of their feathers together. Pained and cowered, the three birds staggered off with a cry. The flames coming off of Kitsune drove the area's surrounding temperate skyrocketing. Even the birds above felt it and flew away in terror.

"Turn it down already, Kit! You'll fry us at this rate!"

Exhausted, the fox extinguished the last of his fire as he crumpled into a heap. A puff of smoke and human Kit laid curled on the ground.

"Aa…Shouldn't do _that_ too often. Give me a minute, guys. Don't give me that look Thatch. That move really knocks me down a peg, but it's _temporary_. I'll be able and fighting in fifteen minutes. HEY! Vista, put me down! I can walk now," complained Kitsune. While the fox exchanged glares with the fourth commander, the fifth division commander had taken the opportunity to sweep the twelve-year-old into his arms and over his shoulders.

 _*Purupurupuru_.*

Vista stopped walking. Thatch pulled out the baby transponder snail in his pocket. He clicked it open.

[Marco, Ace, and Shanks found Luffy. Go to the jungle on the north side of the island. Follow the phoenix cries]

Thatch and Vista exchanged a glance. Kitsune struggled to get down. Tightening his hold, Vista and Thatch took off down the mountains at top speed.

* * *

 _The Jungle_

The top hatter gaped, his pipe clattering to the ground. Namur growled. Curiel just hefted his bazooka into position. _No way can a snake naturally be that big._ The snake in question looked like it could even make Pops look tiny in comparison.

Marco had fought the monster for some time as the wreckage and new clearing suggested. Not even haki-enhanced kicks made much of a dent on that thing's tough scales, though.

"Hey gu- Whoa! Wonder what that thing eats? Oi Marco! Where's Luffy?" yelled Thatch

"That thing ate him!" snarled Ace.

The boy had just raced into the clearing when Luffy rocketed just in front of him. The rubber-brained moron stopped running to wave at Ace. Then the snake charged into the little clearing and swallowed his little brother up.

 _Bastard snake._

Cursing, Ace held up his pipe with reckless courage (the voice in the back of his head whispered that he had no chance against a snake that probably ate things like those griffins for a mid-morning snack). A sudden lifting force saved Ace from the reptile's gaping maw.

The phoenix arrived just in time.

"Why do things like this always happen to Luffy? He doesn't taste very good, so why do giant animals eat him all the time?" Ace yelled in frustration. He _hated_ the feeling of helplessness.

Sabo had finally snapped from his daze and snatched up his pipe. Without a word, the boys charged together at the snake.

"You are both morons!"

Kitsune could not believe how stupid all his little brothers can be. Those two idiots had tried to charge a mammoth snake. The snake probably would have had the boys for a small bite if the stil human Zoan hadn't made a suicidal leap for its head. The snake angrily whipped its head to remove the offending weight. _Come on powers, work._

His grip just started to slip as Sabo and Ace leapt and smacked the snake on the head. Didn't do much in terms of knocking the thing out, but the initial daze allowed Kitsune to safely slide off without having to slam into a tree to do so.

"Together everyone -yoi!" commanded Marco. "Vista, Thatch, divert its attention by attacking at its blind spot along the back. Ace, Sabo, watch their backs. Kit, if you can manage some foxfire, use your will-o-wisps to confuse it. Curiel, target the head. Namur work with me to hold the thing still - yoi!"

The eight people executed their plan, but the snake refused to fall so easily. It body shook oddly for a minute. * _Ssssss...Caaa…ssss…Ccaaa…Ss-come…SS-_ COME..ATTACK! _…*_ The snake gave a strange final rattle before it finally fell.

"Did that thing..."

"Just sounded like it just called for help? Yeah."

 _*Sccreee! Areeee!*_

'Griffins coming fast from the north! More Stymphalian birds from the south. I think I see some rocs – giant predatory birds – coming from the east and west! The big lug's reinforcements are going to surround us in the next minute!' Kit informed the commanders through his telepathy.

"Don't worry, we got reinforcements of our own," said a pleasant voice from just beyond the tree line. Shanks. "My haki can probably take down a score or two, but we'll need to hold out for at least twenty minutes. We're pretty deep in the forest."

"Thatch, Ace, Sabo, work on getting Luffy out from that thing's stomach. We'll cover you –yoi!"

The horde kept coming. Shanks could only knock out so many before his haki needed to recharge. And not all the birds were affected as badly. Many of the larger griffins held out, and many just took care to fly out of range. The commanders and emperor held their ground, though. Kit managed to light a bunch of foxfire to help stifle the numbers coming at his older brothers. Thatch had managed to cut Luffy out of the snake's corpse after a painstaking ten minutes of hacking and searching with Ace and Sabo. The Ace and Sabo hugged their traumatized brother tight.

Thatch had them back against the scaly hide for protection while he warded off the incoming birds scenting the blood and gore covering them.

During the fight, Benn Beckman, Yassop, and Izo arrived, relieving some of the pressure off the fighters.

At the twenty-minute mark, everyone's breathing had become haggard, their energy spent on defense. They heard a sudden crash.

A troop of birds to the north toppled over in the sky. Striding through the forest came Pops and the remaining Whitebeard Pirates. Reinforcements had finally come.

* * *

 _On the Moby Dick_

The relief of the two crews was palpable.

Luffy had finally woken from his shock and cried the whole way back. He cried harder when the injured Shanks leaned over to reassure the boy.

Whitebeard had Luffy cradled in his arms on the walk back. Everyone that made up the rescue parties had scratches and scrapes all over. The nurses patched them up thankfully, antibiotics going around to treat any tropical germ possibly infecting the wounds they received during the fighting.

Doctor Ana directed her staff with well-practiced efficiency to treat all of the wounded. Dozens of other pirates bore pretty nasty scrapes when they had charged into the slaughter, but thankfully no one died during the rescue.

The Red-Hair Pirates had to leave shortly afterwards. They couldn't leave their territories alone for too much longer, even with allies guarding them. Shanks made sure to stop by the infirmary and wave Luffy goodbye.

Doctor Ana just had sternly told Pops to go back to bed after today's excitement. The KASL brothers managed to convince the good doctor to let them gather around the tired Luffy on the condition that they try not to beat on him too badly. The last came up only because Ace had initially walked over to Luffy's cot and punched the rubber boy on his head.

"You idiot! You had all of us worried! How could you end up in a snake?! How could you get snatched by a giant bird in the first place? No, only you can get grabbed on a ship full of hundreds of pirates and not be seen." Sabo and Kitsune grabbed Ace before all he could spend all the worry and fear from the past several hours as rage. Ace took a minute to regulate his breathing.

"Hmmph. We're glad you're safe, you rubber idiot." The three older boys gathered around Luffy and embraced.

"Don't do that again," muttered Kit. "We can't be playing surgery with every giant monster beast that has taken a liking to you. Oh, here's your hat." Kit had taken the straw hat from the first commander after the phoenix found it laying on the deck. He had forgotten he shoved it into his bag until now.

"Thanks Kit. I can always count on my big brothers."

The chef and Marco had just entered the clinic with a few carts full of food for the boys. The boys laid snuggled on Luffy's cot. The two commanders smiled.

Ace and Sabo held Luffy between them while Kit curled around their feet in his normal fox form. The older brothers were adamant they would protect the youngest with all their might.

Thatch slipped a hand into his trousers and took out a camera to capture the moment – Kit's camera, which he may have procured several nights ago. Kit may or may not have noticed its disappearance; if he did, Thatch had a funny feeling a reprisal prank was quietly being concocted.

The scent of food aroused the boys not one minute after Thatch returned the camera to his pocket.

"MEEEEATT!"

Yep, Luffy was safe and sound in the arms of his family once more.

* * *

A/N: Read and Review! Thanks to all that reviewed, voted, followed, read!

So tired, must plan, sleep, dream and repeat.


	12. Chapter XI: I Will Not Die

Chapter XI: I Will Not Die!

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _The Moby Dick_

The first commander winced as Luffy missed the sixteenth commander again and sent a passing crewmate flying into the wall…while he walked on the opposite side of the large indoor training space (after several people hurled over the ship's side, they moved their practice from the deck training area to here).

Pops had agreed more training for the kids after the Rocke Island scare.

To be accurate, it was the older boys who suggested they needed to step up their practices.

(They came to Pops' room last week and requested more than simple exercises and the occasional spar).

So, now the four brothers were practicing more with their pipes, hand-to-hand combat, and sharpshooting (Marco had stopped by an island and purchased some pipes for Luffy and Kit since they neglected to do so themselves at the last island).

Vista and Thatch took turns sparring with them, improving their swings and form. Haruta, Namur, and Curiel had left to take their turns patrolling the territories on the other ships, and now they had Kingdew, their sole hand-to-hand styled commander to teach the boys how to protect themselves with their bare fists along with Marco.

Izo volunteered to improve Luffy and Kit's aiming skill. They have made moderate progress since they started training an hour ago.

"Luffy, you need to aim before attacking. Kit, stop laughing. You may have some skill, but you lack the finesse, so your flames not only hit the targets but scorch the area around them, too. The goal isn't to outright blast them when you want to just give a warning shot or set them up to trip on themselves," instructed Izo.

 _Well, at least Kit can hit what he targets most of the time, and Luffy had dramatically improved. He only hits people other than his target only twice out of five shots. That's better than hitting someone_ every _time he misses,_ thought the phoenix as he watched the two for a minute.

Then he returned to his own lesson. Ace and Sabo nursed sore heads from their mistimed swings. He had the boys working together to try and land a blow on the unarmed phoenix. The boys had plenty of strength and the intelligence to outwit a normal opponent, they just had to hash out strategizing in and out of combat scenarios.

Marco was holding back a lot, obviously, since he was just testing their teamwork. The commander shook his head as he lazily dodged.

They would have landed a blow – not one that would seriously hurt the phoenix but an actual hit – had Ace not made the wrong step to the left and accidently tagged his brother on the head while the other swung too low and nailed the elder's legs. The wounded up in a crumple heap. Thus, began a hot-headed shouting match.

"Ace, watch it!"

"You watch it! I was just about to get him when you got in my way?"

"Excuse me? It seems you have a visionary issue on top of narcolepsy. Perhaps an investment in some spectacles would be in order? At least they would detract from your freckles."

"Don't bring my freckles into this, jerk!"

"Then don't go blaming me for your lack of spatial awareness!"

They needed not only to refine the execution of said plans and smooth out their communication problems, they also needed to remember _situational_ awareness.

Walking right up to the two squabbling boys, the first division commander loomed ominously over them before landing a square kick into their sides, breaking them apart and sending them crashing into the opposite ends of the room.

They had lost themselves so much into their petty argument, they forgot this was a _training exercise._

This led to a harsh cycle of blame as each boy yelled at the other while they stumbled back to their feet, Marco hanging back instead of taking advantage like an actual enemy (he was being generous, not soft. If they didn't get it together in minute, however, …).

Marco had been around a long time, He was well aware the deeper issue here.

They weren't angry at each other not really.

They were angry at themselves for their lack of ability, their perception of unacceptable amount of weakness.

They were worried they would fail their youngest brother if they didn't shape up soon.

When the these two presented their case to Pops, they both gave their reason that they needed to get stronger so that they could be strong enough to always protect their youngest brother. They didn't want to disappoint everyone, to become burdens rather than dependable comrades.

Ace in particular of the two seemed to take any weakness as a personal failure.

Kit was just as determined if a bit more understanding of his own limits.

He looked at Pops in the eye and simply stated that "I know I can't protect everyone or prevent everything. But I want to be able to do as much as I possibly _can_ do. I need to be my very best for the sake of my nakama, my family."

The phoenix understood their motives very well. He was, after all, essentially the big brother to all the crew members. He had to be strong for all of them and for Pops most of all.

"Enough, you two - yoi. Why don't we break for lunch? Looks like Kit and Luffy might be first in line if we linger too much longer – yoi."

That got the brats' attention.

" _Shishishi!_ MEAT! FOOD! I WANT ALL OF IT!" giggled Luffy as he rocked across the room to the nearest door.

"Luffy! Wait up!"

"You walking blackhole, don't you dare!"

"Hurry up slowpokes, then! Or I'll _help_ him do it!" Kit laughed as he bounded after the youngest.

The four boys ran off toward the galley, pushing and shoving at one another in their race for lunch. A hand clapped on the first commander's shoulder.

"Perk up, Marco. The expression on your face reminds me of when Luffy gets lost on some island. All broody and somber. Worried?"

Leave it to Thatch to see through his poker face.

"Those boys, Ace and Kit especially, want to shoulder all the burden of brotherhood - yoi. They want to protect their loved ones, not depend on their loved ones for protection. They're only children, yet they want to be prepared to fight the world – yoi." The phoenix whispered the last, but the chef heard it all the same.

"Until they can stand on their own, they have us. Some day, though, we won't always be there, so they have the right idea. But, they have hundreds of brothers willing to raise them to be the very best of themselves in the future. One day, we will have to hold nothing back or else they will never make it on their own," the redhead reminded him.

Marco looked up at his friend in surprise. Sometimes the phoenix forgot how wise Thatch can be for all that the man acted so childish.

"Right now, they have us to back them up – yoi. Thanks, Thatch."

"Always, buddy. We'd better go to the galley before those endless stomachs eat everything."

* * *

 _Later that week_

 _After Midnight_

The little boy pulled the covers closer over his head. Just across the room, Ace snored loudly while Sabo managed to snatch both of their blankets in his sleep. At the bottom of his bed, Kit stretched out, his feet dangling off the bed and his body curled slightly inward.

Luffy whimpered.

Ever since the monster snake ate the little boy whole, Luffy had terrible nightmares. Sometimes he saw the snake eat Ace, Kit, Sabo, the commanders, and even Pops. Once it finished swallowing them whole, it slid its yellow eyes to Luffy, its great big forked tongue flicking out.

Sometimes the boy dreamed of all those nasty birds flying off with his brothers. And the worst were the ones where the giant birds grabbed him and knocked his brothers off the mountain when they tried to rescue him.

Tonight was the worse one yet. Muffled sobs threatened to spill out, but Luffy stifled them. He didn't want to keep waking his brothers up when they had a lot of hard work in the mornings.

Ace had kept falling asleep during mealtimes and even had an attack in the middle of training. Even Sabo nodded off while Vista explained a particularly complex form. Kit had started to disappear in the middle of the night again, too.

Luffy knew some of his brothers' problems were because of him waking them up at night and making them worry. The dark room didn't help the fear.

Resolved, Luffy stumbled carefully out of bed, trying not to wake the hybrid form Zoan as he slid off the bed. The little boy grabbed his straw hat off the dresser before wrapping his blanket around him and heading out the door.

Tonight was cold. Luffy's rubber body protected him a little bit, but he still shivered with only with pajamas and blanket to keep him warm. His shivering worsened. He felt that weird feeling again.

" _Zehahaha_. What are you doing out little guy?" asked the second division member Teach.

Luffy had ran into the man several times since Sabaody.

He still did not like that man. He felt _wrong_. Luffy clutched his blanket tighter around him.

"Poor guy. I bet you had a nightmare, didn't ya? Well, I'm not the best guy when it comes to night scares. But you know who is? I bet the first commander's still awake." Teach misinterpreted the shudder running through Luffy when he reached down to carry the boy. Another tremble wracked the boy at the touch.

The rubber boy buried himself deeper into the blanket and ducked away from the reaching hand.

He was afraid of the man, but he knew he wouldn't leave Luffy alone.

Like Kit always told him, sometimes you can't afford to be so stubborn. One had to know when to bend.

Teach's eyes went up as the little boy avoided his touch but then reached out and grabbed his hand between tiny, shuddering fingers.

Shrugging it off as just nerves, the second division member just went with it, pulling the younger D to the commanders' sleeping quarters.

Luffy stayed silent during the whole walk to Marco's room. He _really_ didn't like Teach, but he wanted to see Marco.

* * *

The little lamp by his desk began to dim. Marco yawned but continued to write. These reports had to be finished by morning. Plus, if the first commander slacked too much, his workload didn't just increase, it _doubled_.

And it was already doubled to start with since he had to manage the unsupervised second division on top of his own. No one would normally disturb the phoenix at this late hour, so the sudden knock at his door startled the man a little. He looked over his shoulder to the door.

* _Knock, knock*_

The first commander sighed as he stood up to answer his door.

His eyes widened when he took in the sight of the unkempt Marshall D. Teach of second division leading little Luffy by the hand, the small boy wrapped almost entirely in his blanket.

"Sorry, to be disturbing you, first commander, but this little guy was wandering around the deck. I think he had one of those night scares. For some reason, he doesn't like me that much, so I thought it might be alright to bring him to you," clarified Teach.

"Thank you for caring for Luffy. I don't mind if he stays with me tonight."

"Naw, it isn't much of a problem to watch over our youngest brother after all," said Teach as he handed the boy over to Marco. The seven-year-old latched onto the phoenix the moment Teach let go of him. "If that's all, I better get back to the watch." Teach waved goodbye and left.

"Hey Luffy? You okay?" The boy's lip trembled.

"Did you have a bad dream – yoi?" Luffy began to shake. Marco waited a moment, rubbing soothing circles into the young boy's back.

Several moments passed as they just stood there, the quiet of the night gradually soothing all signs of tension and anxiety.

"Want to talk about it?"

Luffy shook his head no a few times. Then he stopped suddenly as if something just came to mind. Dark eyes hardened with determination.

"Mm…I saw a ss-scary monster eat Thatch! It was huge and dark and had a horrible laugh. Then the monster started to go after Kit and Ace and Sabo. My b-brothers were trying to protect me from it. T-then…" Luffy began to wail, clutching tighter to the phoenix's shirt. Marco just held the boy tight, continuing to rub his back in soothing circles and whispering reassurances.

"Don't you worry, Luffy. There's not a monster out there that can get to Thatch or you and your brothers on the _Moby Dick,_ not without dealing with all your other brothers and Pops."

Tears still dripped from the little boy's eyes, but his body no longer shook with sobs. The boy gave a sniff. "T-that's what Thatchy said the first time."

"The first time? You've had this dream before - yoi?"

"Uh huh. Thatchy and Kit helped me, too, that time."

"You have wonderful big brothers all around you Luffy - yoi. Why don't you bunk with me tonight?" Those reports can wait until tomorrow.

"You sure? My brothers might not like that I left. They got really worried the last time, too but I didn't want to wake them up and…"

"I'm sure they'll understand Luffy. Remember that I'm your big brother, too. Come on, let's get some sleep – yoi."

* * *

"LUFFY!"

 _Great who's shouting at this hour?_ Kitsune grumbled a bit before he finally untangled himself from his nest of blankets. The upper part of the mattress was cold. _Oh yeah, Luffy went off to Marco's room last night._

Kitsune groaned. Ace and Sabo evidently just discovered their little brother's disappearance.

He knew of course. He was a light sleeper compared to the other boys. Super-powered senses didn't help his slight insomnia problem, either. So, he noticed the abrupt shifting of the bed, and the missing weight roused him entirely. He didn't follow Luffy, though. Something in his gut told the fox Zoan to hang back and let things be.

He did, however, keep his ears perk at the conversation a couple halls down. He didn't like finding out who found Luffy wandering the halls, but he restrained himself.

Crew was crew, right? At least, it meant the _kitsune_ would give the large and strangely disconcerting D a chance.

 _But if my feeling about him are ever confirmed…_ Kitsune may be a part of the Whitebeard Pirates, but he was a big brother first and foremost, to Davy Jones the rules and traditions of a pirate crew.

And as a big brother, he was entitled to controlling the younger generations.

"Ace, Sabo, stop trying to wake everyone up," he grumbled, throwing his blanket over the two headless chickens. "Luffy's fine. I noticed him leave the cabin last night, but that Teach guy found him and took him to Marco's room. I bet we'll see him in the galley."

Ace did not appreciate the Zoan's reasoning or inaction of last night. Kitsune held hands in surrender when Ace glowered at the nonchalant attitude of the eldest D.

"Hey, hey, what did you want me to do? Luffy wasn't going to get back to bed and Teach was hardly going to try anything when he must know by now I'm a Zoan. We are known for our advanced senses, and I have complete faith the two of you would be right on my heels if something happened."

Before Ace could say something, Sabo grabbed his left arm. "Listen to Kit. Luffy probably had another nightmare. We can interrogate him at breakfast."

The three brothers quickly dressed and headed off to the galley.

The moment Ace saw Luffy gleefully shoving tons of food into his impossibly extended mouth, the freckle-face boy marched over and slapped him on the upside of his head. An episode of choking and patting on the back ensued.

"Ace, I believe I already told you not to beat on your brothers until after they swallow their food during mealtimes – yoi," Marco lazily remarked, pointing a fork in the raven's direction.

Ace jumped a bit. He didn't even register the first commander sitting across from Luffy until he spoke. Ace decided to ignore the reprimand and spoke to his now attentive brother.

"Luffy, why didn't you wake any of us up? Or leave the room?!"

Luffy's joyful expression dimmed. "I d-didn't want to wake you three up and worry you anymore. Sabo, Kit, and you are having sleeping troubles, so I thought I could handle the nightmares myself. I'm sorry," sniffed Luffy. Not even an angry Ace could keep up the harsh tone in the face of his little brother's helpless tears.

"You rubber-brained idiot," sighed Ace, "you should know better. We're your brothers, that means we're all for you. It's good that you went to Marco. So, what was your dream about anyways?"

"Marco was really nice," the rubber-boy chirped, back to his sunshine-self. "He let me bunk with him last night. We talked about my dream. It was really scary, Ace! I s-saw this big dark monster that tried to eat Thatch, you, Kit, and Sabo. You guys were eaten because of me!"

Man, Kitsune could never get how people with the Monkey D surname could do such a 180 on their emotions. More tears slid down the rubber boy's face.

Sabo walked over and gently wiped them with a handkerchief from his coat pocket.

"That's ridiculous Luffy! You have three strong older brothers, no, you have a whole ship's worth of strong brothers and sisters. We won't die that easily," exclaimed Ace.

"But what about Sabo? He almost died back on Dawn Island, and they say the East Blue is the weakest of seas! But then that mean dragon blew his ship up! And what about when Bluejam's fire almost killed Ace?"

Thatch, Marco, and several commanders had leaned in to listen to their youngest brothers' conversation. They already knew from Haruta and Rakuyo about the Celestial Dragon incident, but the information on Bluejam was spotty. The boys did not at all like to talk about this pirate or his crew from their home island. They didn't exactly elaborate when storytelling with Rayleigh, either. So, this was the first time the commanders heard about the pirate himself trying to hurt the boys.

Thatch felt compelled to inquire a bit more.

"Who's Bluejam exactly? You guys kept mentioning his crew when you told us about your childhood, but you guys didn't exactly talk about him too much."

"He's a no-good pirate captain stuck on our home island," said Kitsune distractedly, his gaze glazed in memory. "We ran into his crew after Ace and Sabo stole some gold and cash from them. Luffy nearly died when they caught him instead of Ace and Sabo. This was way back when. You guys know that story. But, that was not the last we saw of the Bluejam Pirates."

"Kit." The older D halted.. Sabo's interruption reminded the boy that this was not just his story to tell.

But then Sabo just gave him a sad smile.

"Let me tell you guys this next part. This is basically the catalyst to why I tried to sail of on my own and nearly died.

I'm the child of a noble. I didn't fit in with my family. My parents never really listened to what I said and only tried to control me. I felt trapped by their expectations, their dream for their noble son to increase their family's place in society through marriage. So, I ran away, met Ace, then Luffy and Kit.

But then we did something stupid, and my past finally caught up to me. My father discovered I was still alive and lived in the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom. He sent the Bluejam Pirates after my brothers and threatened their lives unless I cooperated and returned home.

I complied. Then the Grey Terminal was set on fire by the nobles. I never felt as ashamed as when I found out that my people were content to let innocents burn. You know the rest," finished Sabo. "Do you hate me for being a son of nobles?"

The commanders solemnly listened to Sabo's story. At his question, Thatch answered without a second's hesitation.

"Of course not. Like Pops always says-"

"We are all children of the sea," a voice boomed from the other side of the long table. Pops had evidently listened in to the conversation from where he sat. Kitsune couldn't help but cock his head in curiosity. The giant man sat quite a ways away, but it sounded like he heard the story perfectly clear if his tone of voice told them anything.

Sabo had tears in his eyes, which he quickly wiped the moment he noticed them. Ace had looked to his two brothers with an intense look.

"Luffy, Sabo, Kit, listen. I vow that I will never die and leave you guys behind! A weakling like Luffy needs me to watch his back. And the two of you would be lost without me to help protect the idiot. Understand?" The younger brothers nodded their heads and join Ace in his vow. Kit nodded his head but said nothing.

The commanders acknowledged the young boy's statement of never dying with a touch of sorrow. They trusted Ace to realize one day to know how impossible his statement was, but for now, to just let him enjoy the trust and love of his brothers.

Newgate shook his head at such a naïve statement but said nothing. His eyes drew over to the one brother not necessarily agreeing with Ace's statement. The oldest of the four was curiously silent, nodding his head only vaguely at the younger D.

Something in the boy's eyes echoed of sorrow and age far exceeding his twelve years.

He had a feeling young Kit understood how impossible a promise like that could be, especially in the life of a pirate.


	13. Chapter XII: What's with the Fluff?

Chapter XII: What's with the Fluff? And I'm NOT a Coat!

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _Moby Dick_

Those boys have been training nonstop ever since that day they made the promise to get stronger and never die.

The fourth commander shook his head. Ace hardly spared any time for fun or pranks anymore, Sabo locked himself in the room the other half of the time to read a new book, Luffy spent more time in the sea than anything trying to work on his aim, and Kit just kept trying to sneak-attack commanders. Speaking of which-

Thatch activated his Observation haki a moment before the Zoan's lunge. He sidestepped left, and the little black fox skittered past, carried forward by the momentum of his pounce.

* _Thump_!*

Thatch winced in sympathy. Kit just slid into the deck railings. The fox laid stunned for a moment, shook off his daze, stood up, and launched himself at Thatch again.

"Oi, stop trying to attack me, brat! Didn't Marco ask you to stop attacking if you couldn't successfully hit someone the first time?"

The mythical fox bared his little sharp teeth. 'Nah. I never agreed to anything. Besides, I need the practice.'

"Oh, I almost forgot!" exclaimed the Zoan as he quickly transitioned into his hybrid form, stumbling over his feet at the abrupt transformation.

He still needed to work on that (a lot). Thatch rubbed his temples. Sometimes the _kitsune's_ switch from telepathy to speech as he changed could be jarring on the brain. More gray smoke whipped around the Zoan. Kit stood with his mischief-filled grin. "Hey, Thatch!"

"Didn't you have something you had to do or something?"

"Oh, yes. Navigation said you wanted them to report to you when we a _certain_ group of islands– whatever that means, _shahehehe_!" Kit gave a mocking salute to the amused fourth commander before disappearing literally from sight.

 _Kit, Kit, if only your brothers retained more of that good humor._ Despite the consuming drive of the others, the Zoan still joked around and would entertain some of Thatch's ideas in lieu of a busy Ace (which didn't really please the chef, but he had some ideas to change that).

 _So, we've finally reached those particular islands, huh? You boys need a reminder that you're still kids and this will be the perfect opportunity._ Thatch allowed a wide grin to spread across his face on his way to the navigation room.

* * *

 _Morning_

 _The Moby Dick_

Ace woke up without knowing what woke him up. Hands reached up to rub at bleary eyes. The moment his blankets began to slide off, the boy reflexively snatched them back up. Uncontrollable shivers began to wrack his frame.

 _Damn, why is it so cold?! Last night felt really warm and now it's freezing?_ Ace looked over to his brother. Oops. He accidentally stole some of Sabo's blankets. The other boy shook for a good minute before he groaned and woke up.

"Ace! Did you steal my blankets? Give them back before I turn into an icicle!" Sabo tugged away some of Ace's blankets, but neither brother could get warm enough. Their gaze slid over to their other brothers. They shared a look and jumped into their bed.

Luffy still snoozed without even flinching at the sudden impact of his two brothers landing on him.

"Mmm, Ace? Sabo? What brings you two into our bunk and… _Brrr_!" muttered a sleepy Kit. Without further ado, the shape-shifter hopped off the bed and transformed into a _yako_ fox. He circled the wooden floor a few times, using a small bit of foxfire to warm the floorboards. Satisfied, he curled up and fell back to sleep.

Ace and Sabo's landing didn't wake up the rubber boy, but the sudden loss of Kit's warmth on his feet did. Groggy, Luffy sat up in confusion.

"Breakfast? Wow! It's rrr-rreally cc-cold!" The rubber boy hugged himself tight. Ace knocked Luffy gently on the head.

"Duh. That's why we came over to your bed. It's too cold even with two people sharing a bunk. Hmm. You know, Kit looks pretty warm." Ace elbowed Sabo and pointed down at the sleeping fox. Without a word, all three boys grabbed their blankets and jumped onto the fox.

Unlike Luffy, however, Kitsune did not have a rubber body, and was not amused.

'Gah! Don't you guys have any manners? I'm not opposed to snuggling up on a cold day, but you three could have just gotten out of bed and _asked_ to use me like a pillow, like civilized apes, not leap onto me like a bunch of monkeys!' Irritated, Kit shook off the boys.

"Hey!" complained Ace. "Why'd you do _that_ for, bastard?!"

'You guys should have just asked, then. By the way, any ideas why the cabin feels like a freezer?'

"We must be approaching a winter island," Sabo suggested. "In the Grand Line, every island has its own unique seasons and weather. That's why the weather in the surrounding seas can be so crazy."

"Wow, Sabo knows a lot of cool stuff, _shishishi!"_

Sabo chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Namur told me about this a few weeks back, but I haven't really thought it too much since we always sailed near islands with mild weather."

"Winter on Dawn Island never felt this cold, though _, shishishi_! Kit, will you let us lay on top of you?"

'Not in the mood. I might be persuaded to heat the room later, though.'

Ace didn't trust the evil light in Kit's eyes. Then the boy had a _brilliant_ idea.

"Oi, Kit! You regenerate your fur whenever it's ripped off, right? I saw those birds back on that crazy island snatch a whole bunch of it, but it grew back after you shifted. Mind donating a little to your brothers. If we make a coat or blanket out of it-"

A fireball floated just in front of Ace' face. 'Finish that thought, I dare you little brother. Or, shall I make it later now? A bonfire should do, just need the kindling.'

"You wouldn't dar-!"

Suddenly, the cabin door flew open. Startled, Kit's fire ball sputtered out. The boys jumped as they took in their unexpected guest.

"Boys, what are you still doing in bed? I brought some winter clothes that Izo finished stitching just for this occasion. Come on and put them on. Hurry, or you'll miss breakfast and all the fun I have plan for today. Don't give me that look, Ace, Kit. You guys are due for a good old-fashioned island adventure." Without further ado, the chef shoved a wad of clothes at the brothers. Most of them fell directly onto the giant blue fox.

A sly-eyed look flashed into Kit's expression.

Ace had a bad feeling in his gut.

Suddenly, clothes scattered around the room as Kit shook the offending articles off with a wild toss of his back and head. He only paused in his mayhem-making to snap up some clothes for himself. The fox howled in delight at his younger brothers' shocked faces.

'Good luck finding the matching sets in time for breakfast.' A flurry of gray smoke interrupted Ace and Sabo's lunge for their oldest brother's head. Somehow Kit managed to dress in the split seconds the smoke enveloped the room before bidding his brothers with a cheerful wave and walking out onto the cold deck.

Ace sputtered in indignation at the door closing in his face. _So damn close to catching that mangy mutt._ Cursing under his breath, Ace went to help Sabo and Luffy scavenge for their clothes.

* * *

 _The Galley_

Kitsune had just finished his third serving when his brothers finally trudged through the galley doors. They did not look happy if those death glares they shot at him meant anything.

Marco, who sat across from the gleeful fox, raised his eyebrow in question.

"A bit of a morning trick, commander, nothing harmful. Just a lesson to show what happens when you mess with a born trickster." Kitsune couldn't hold back a little chuckle. And the laser-beam glares returned to his back once more. This only made the Zoan break into full laughter, nearly choking on his next bite of pancakes.

"Hmm. I'll ask about that later – yoi." Marco snapped a knife down as a rubber hand threated to steal his bacon.

His brothers finally came over to their table with their heaping stacks of plates. "So," inquired Thatch, "have any of you boys seen snow before?"

"Snow?" inquired Luffy. "What's that?"

Thatch gasped, his arms held up in disbelief. Marco paused to punch his friend on the shoulder for his dramatic display.

Undeterred, Thatch grandly stated, "Snow, my dear Luffy, is one of the most wonderful weather phenomena you'll see short of candy rain."

"Candy?" salivated Luffy, eyes wild with images of delicious sweets.

"Probably should have left that part out, Thatch. Luffy had yet to consume the _minimum_ five plates he requires prior to an attempt at food humor," jibed the fox Zoan.

Kitsune had yet to get back at the chef for dumping most of their new winter wardrobe on him. He was liable to act snarky to Thatch for the very near future – at least until he got payback.

"Snow? I've read about it in my books," said Sabo in an effort to distract the plotting Kit. An annoyed or malevolently mischievous Kit meant deep, deep trouble as this morning's display clearly showed. "Snow is frozen rain but is reputably soft and malleable. People enjoy the white stuff for all sorts of winter playing."

"If it's frozen rain, it can't be that big of a deal. I really rather return to a summer, spring, or even an autumn island," griped Ace. The freckled kid evidently hated snow without even seeing it.

"Aww, but Ace! The snow sounds really fun and cool. I want to play with some!" Luffy had finally finished off his sixth plate and returned his attention to the original discussion. He waved his hands up to emphasize his impatience to see the "mysterious white stuff". Thatch who sat right next to Luffy simply patted his straw hatted head.

"Don't worry little brother. The snow will not go anywhere. We have a couple weeks' worth of winter islands, and navigation should report sighting the first winter island in another hour or so."

"Yay!"

Ace still looked a bit disgruntled at the prospect snow. Sabo seemed mildly curious. Kitsune had seen snow before and began to plan all the special things he can do to get back at his various brothers, starting with Ace for his big, idiotic mouth.

 _Hmph. A coat indeed._

* * *

 _Landing_

All the brothers bundled into some heavy coats prior to coming to the island. Luffy had a bright red coat, Sabo wore turquoise-blue coat, Kit had a light (material-wise) grey coat due to his higher body temperature, and Ace wore an orange coat. They all wore wooly white scarves around their necks.

The minute the four walked onto the deck, Ace knew that he hated snow. It didn't help when Kitsune turned into his plain fox which was surprisingly not its usual reddish brown, but pure white.

'Must be because of the cold weather,' Kit theorized. 'I've been in snowy weather before, but never using my "normal" fox form. I wonder what other colors I can turn?'

"You already every other freaking color on a color palette," Ace deadpanned, unamused as the Zoan kept digging under the snow, shaking it off the moment Ace got near his hiding place.

"Maybe you'll turn green if we go to a Summer Island," Sabo suggested. Ace threw the blond a dark look when he saw him smile at his misery.

Kitsune made a high-pitched bark, laughing. 'Now, that's a thought! No, I think my single-tail form simply corresponds to whatever more "naturally" blends with my surroundings. True foxes aren't green, I'm afraid, whereas artic foxes are pure white like this.'

Their little brother stared at the shimmering white flakes in awe.

"Ace, Ace! Isn't the snow fun?" Luffy had about zero interest in his brother's hard thinking talk, more entranced by the fluffy white stuff.

Ace looked at Luffy dead in the eye. "Not even a little."

Thatch had dragged Marco, Namur, and Jozu along to watch the four brothers. After the first commander had dispatched to a few of him members to pick up some supplies in town, he resigned himself to being pulled along by Luffy who had immediately latched to his hand the moment they all walked off the boat.

Finally, the group arrived to a secluded clearing just at the foot of a mountain. Luffy tried to dash off, but Thatch snatched up the energetic boy.

"Whoa, whoa, Luffy! Don't you want to learn how to properly play in the snow? Like how to build a snow man, for example?" chuckled Thatch. Luffy pouted until he heard the word "snow man".

"Snow man? What's that?"

"Why, Luffy, a snow man is a man made of snow!" Kitsune had just emerged from his newest snow patch, but not spraying it onto the hapless Ace this time and instead opting to just slough it off, transforming back into human form.

"No, no, it's not a man made of snow!" the Zoan chuckled. "Thatch, remember, Luffy will literally think a snow man is a snow _man_. Like some sort of Logia. Luffy, a snow man is basically a bunch of snow shaped like a person."

Luffy gave them that wide smile that said he understood about zero percent of what his elder just said. Kitsune dropped onto his back into the snow before continuing his explanation. "Sort of like building a sand castle, instead we use snow and shape it into a person. No? Maybe you should just show him," sighed the resigned Zoan.

Thatch whistled as he rolled several balls of snow. He placed two smaller balls on top of a large one, added some rocks for eyes, a mouth, and some sticks for hands and a nose.

"Ta-dah!" Ace looked unimpressed. Sabo's mouth quirked and strained to keep from laughing. The other commanders laughed outright, even Jozu chortled. Kitsune tried for a poker face before just giving in and snickered silently.

The snow person hung a bit lopsided, and the face looked like it spent a few rounds with the third commander.

Thatch dropped his head, dejected, until Luffy exclaimed, "I think it looks awesome! Thatchy, help me make one, too!" The fourth division commander cheered up immediately. He cuddled Luffy into a big hug.

"At least someone knows art when he sees it."

Marco just stared blankly at him. "I bet any of us can easily make a _better_ snow man than your poor excuse of a snow monster impression – yoi."

"Why not a competition?" suggested Kitsune, silver-blue eyes glinting dangerously. "If _any_ of us can really do much better, then why not prove it in a friendly snow man building contest?"

Something about the gleam in Kit's eyes had the commanders and the brothers wondering what the tricky and merciless brother had planning.

Kitsune had gained a bit of reputation for acting so very respectful and kind…up the point and after the point he had publicly wreaked his drawn out vengeance.

Sabo cocked his head questionably but figured that Kit more or less had his sights set on Ace and Thatch right now.

"Four commanders, four children, so we should work in pairs, if everyone is all right with that?" asked the top hat wearer. Nods all around and teams were decided.

Thatch had decided to take Ace, Luffy glued to Marco's side, Sabo asked Namur to work with him, leaving Commander Jozu with Kit. Jozu looked down on the white fox who had innocently started to groom his thick coat of fur.

"What are you planning, little one?"

The fox yipped. 'Nothing - except a very good trick. I think a mix of unspoken and spoken communication can be agreed upon?' asked the fox with a tilt of his head. 'Thatch and Ace do love their pranks so. Besides, don't you want to put the little devils in their place after they somehow secretly glued half of your commander upside-down in their sleep while the other half – including you – wound up with hair as glittering as diamonds?' Jozu thought for a moment. _What do you have in mind, my little friend?_

A Cheshire grin slow grew on the white fox's face.

* * *

 _One hour later_

" _Shahehehe!_ Nice snow man you two."

The two pranking kings looked ready to strangle the fox. Minutes earlier, the two had just finished their snow man when its head started to shake uncontrollably. Thatch and Ace stared at it blankly for a moment before diving for cover. It head burst into a shower of colorful sparks that somehow clung to the duo. Ace looked like he had neon green polka dots all over his orange coat, and Thatch sported large and vibrant pink splotches dotting his white coat.

Jozu and Kit chortled from behind their rather large snow man.

"How did you get that in there? I had Ace watching the snow man the whole time. We even avoided looking you in the eyes the entire trip! You haven't even changed! You can't use the powers of your other forms when transformed already, so how'd you pull of something like this!" sputtered a very red-faced Thatch. He got a loud bark of laughter in return.

Before all their eyes, the white fox's form distorted, and a grinning tiny black fox replaced it.

'Turns out, Jozu's diamond form makes a very handy amplifier for my hypnosis skills. Refracting the will-o-wisp spell through him had everyone suffer a small loss of amnesia – just long enough to erase my very eye-catching transformation _and_ to keep the two of you from seeing me sneak over. You two had the right idea to refuse to look over at us, but all this snow plus a diamond reflector equals your downfall. From there, all I had to do was insert my experimental flash-and-splatter paintball ala foxfire. _Shahehehe!_ Don't worry. I'm sure the spell will wear off – err – eventually. Maybe in five minutes – or was it five hours?'

Ace and Thatch threw themselves at the little fox. Kitsune yelped and climbed onto Jozu. Thatch eyed the large currently diamond covered man.

"Don't think we forgot about your part. The kid had to have asked for you cooperation since he used your diamond ability to spread his hypnosis effect. I don't think for a minute you didn't know a thing about what he was doing. You even covered for his part in building the snow man. Why don't we deal with this the old-fashion way?" threatened Thatch. He and Ace had something in their gloved hands. Snow flew.

Kitsune and Jozu shook their heads in indignation.

'This means war!' Kit's form vanished under a vale of gray then yellow smoke. _Yes, it worked this time!_ Kitsune would be tired as a dog later, but he's been working on a way to speed up multiple transformations. Before it cleared completely, several balls of snow danced into the air.

Ace and Thatch dove for cover.

'Jozu, mind tossing up a bunch of snow into the air? Might help speed things up.' Several of the snow ball from the two teams went astray and landed direct hits on Marco, Luffy, Namur, and Sabo.

An all-out snow war followed. Marco flew while Luffy pelted the pirates and boys below. Namur managed to heft snow balls at the flying duo with his great strength while Sabo covered him with his pipe. Kitsune used Jozu's height to help broaden his range as he flung several snow balls with his tails. Ace and Thatch watched each other's backs as they dashed and threw at the devil fruit users and their teammates when they had their backs turned.

In a last ditch effort, they charged in a suicidal full frontal assault.

At the end, everyone had fun in the snow, even Ace who had hated the white stuff at first (and still).

The eight of them returned to the Moby Dick for hot chocolate mixed drinks, a little rum in the commanders' and milk for the children.

The first snow island did the boys well. They've relaxed. They no longer tackled their training with almost desperate enthusiasm but took it in a more natural rhythm, choosing to take breaks and playing in their spare time.

Ace had measurably changed from the suspicious older brother from their first days on the ship. He spoke to his new family with relative ease these days. His lowered guard, however, lasted only until Luffy began to take note of the date more than a week later.


	14. Chapter XIII: We Cherish You for You

Chapter XIII: We Cherish You for You

A/N: Sorry that the chapter is fairly short, but it's an important part of Ace's character development. Oh, thanks to everyone that reviewed, voted, and followed! I do love reading everyone's comments.

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _Moby Dick_

Ace had just settled down for a warm breakfast, coat held tightly shut. He still wished it was warmer, but really didn't mind the snow part. He had just shoved half of a plate's worth of food into his mouth when Thatch strode over to the table with an oddly wide smile. Before the boy could swallow, Thatch's next words had him nearly choking.

"So, Ace, why didn't you mention to anyone that your birthday was just in a couple of days?"

Sabo sitting next to him halted his conversation with Namur to forcefully pat his the older raven's back until Ace was out of danger from dying by surprise. Gulping in huge gasps of air, Ace finally turned to Thatch, his expression dark and closed.

"Who told you that?!" the raven demanded hoarsely.

Thatch raised his hand in a placating gesture. "Hey, you don't have to bite off my head, Ace! I was asking around for your birth dates, so that I can put them into the crew's general logs. Plus, Ana needed them your medical records, too. Anyhow, Sabo was busy, Kit set up foxfire around his napping spot, so I couldn't even get near him, so that left Luffy. He told me. But something he said stuck with me, though. Said something about how you don't like your birthday, but what kid doesn't like their birthday?"

Ace shot said brother an infuriated glare (not very effective since Luffy was at a different table, and the dining area was huge) before eying the fourth commander with a level of wariness the man haven't seen since those early days. It hurt.

"I don't. Haven't bothered celebrating it."

Bewildered, the chef tried again. "As a part of this family, we have an obligation to celebrate it. I already came up with a few pl-"

"NO! I don't want to have a party or anything! I much rather everyone not even mention my birthday!" screamed the pre-teen.

"But Ace-" The raven-haired boy stood up and ran out the galley in fury, leaving the commander and the crew flabbergasted.

Kit and Sabo exchanged a meaningful look before excusing themselves and running after him.

* * *

"Ace. Ace? Ace, open the damn door, you idiot!" Kitsune and Sabo stood outside their cabin. Sabo currently had his fist pounding on the door. "I thought we've already discussed this back on Dawn Island. Hurry up and come out. I know you didn't eat much at breakfast, you can't stay in there all day!"

"Sabo, he's not going to come out anytime soon."

"Aargh!" Sabo knocked his head against the door, turned around, and slid down to sit on the cold planks.

"Screaming and yelling at him never worked before and will hardly work now. I thought he got over this after we made our vows as brothers, but I guess something like this won't be so easy to resolve," sighed the older D. They have been pleading, demanding, and threatening their brother for half an hour.

Breakfast had evidently finished as Luffy finally bounced over to see what his brothers were doing.

"Hey Kit, hey Sabo! Where's Ace?"

"Luffy, did you have to mention Ace's birthday to Thatch?"

"Oops. I forgot. Is Ace mad at me?"

Luffy stuck out his lip, quivering.

Sabo shook his head. "No, honestly I think he's well of aware of how honest you are, Luffy. He's just upset that Thatch tried to make a big deal about his upcoming birthday."

"Ace's existential issues come up all too often. I thought he really did get over it, especially after our talk a year ago. Luffy, by your blank look, I guess you still don't understand what I'm talking about? You know how Ace hates his dad? He also believes that because of _that_ man's blood, he isn't worthy of living. I figured after he stopped asking those question to every damn stranger he had finally realized that his parentage doesn't determine our love for him," explained Kitsune. If he had ears, they would be drooping, tail(s) trailing on the ground.

He really didn't like dealing with psychological dilemmas, but his family was chock full of them, including his own.

"We should probably just give him time," conceded Sabo. "Luffy, why don't we go play a game? Kit?"

"Hmm. No thanks. I think I will just take a nap." Thatch did interrupt his earlier one for all he acted like he kept on sleeping earlier this morning.

* * *

 _Hours later_

Ace hadn't heard a word outside the cabin for a while. His stomach grumbled, but the raven felt a sour twist about eating anything right now. But he couldn't stay in here any longer. It felt like the cabin walls were closing in on him when he was like this.

Sneaking a glance outside and seeing no one at the moment, he tiptoed out for some fresh air.

'Finally decided to come out, hmm?' "said" a voice above and behind him.

Ace twisted around abruptly. Lying on the cabin roof laid a Kit in his _ninko_ fox form. The three-tail shook off some errant snow before leaping off his perch, black smoke hazing around his body. A semi-transformed Kit landed in front of Ace. "Come on." The _kitsune_ walked off without another word.

Confused, Ace followed, more out of surprise than conscious choice. Kit swiftly walked through the ship and deep into its twisting underbelly. Ace had some trouble maneuvering around a few of the wooden and iron shafts that made up the _Moby Dick's_ internal skeleton, but Kit made several stops to let the younger but bulkier boy catch up.

They finally came to a particularly large space somewhere in the ship.

"You do know how to get back to the deck, right?" mumbled Ace.

"Of course. I thought you looked like you needed somewhere quiet and secluded to think for a bit. Want to talk about it?" Kitsune worried that Ace might explode in his face, but Ace's reaction surprised him. Ace just huffed and flopped to the ground.

"Maybe it's better if I had decided to stay on Clockwork instead of letting you and Sabo to convince me otherwise."

"Ace, you're only ten, no, almost eleven. And what makes you think we would have left you behind? We're like the Three Musketeers."

"There's four of us," Ace just had to point out to be a pain in the tail.

"Yes, the three older and wiser protagonists plus their troublemaking younger follower, D'Artagnan."

Kitsune shook his head. "We're getting off topic. Back then, though, and now, I didn't really have high hopes for our survival if _we_ did choose to go our own way. We would have never survived the Grand Line without any sort of knowledge, provisions, or weapons. I doubted we would have gotten to the next island, especially since Clockwork Island was under occupation by that low-down pirate crew. The old man's offer really saved us." Kitsune had a feeling where the conversation was turning to.

"I don't belong here. If any of the crew knew my heritage, the name of the bastard whose blood runs in my veins-" Kitsune cut Ace off.

"Shut up about that, already! They seem fine knowing Uncle Ray and I share a blood relation. I highly doubt the old man or anyone else on the crew would mind if they knew the truth. They've accepted my heritage and Sabo's, I bet they wouldn't even care about Luffy's! So why not yours?"

Ace glared at his older brother. Then he stood up and knocked Kitsune onto the planks.

"We don't know that! They don't even know your entire heritage. Heck, even you don't know it yourself. Your dad's just someone your mom called dangerous. I don't think they call your father a monster! Don't even try to compare us again!" Ace heaved sobbing breaths of air.

Kitsune could have dodged his punch; he was plenty quick and agile, especially in the guise of the _ninko_. Instead, the older boy just sat quietly.

"What is going on?"

Ace and Kitsune's heads twisted around to see Marco walking into their hiding place.

"Ace, you okay? I heard what happened in the galley - yoi." The first commander quietly walked over to Ace's side. He looked as bored as ever, but Ace could detect the tell-tale hint of worry on the commander's face.

(Kitsune knew Ace knew the phoenix was worried about him. Shouldn't that have let Ace know how close he was to their new family members?)

Nevertheless, Ace scowled at the commander. After a moment's thought, Ace asked the man a question.

"What would you do if Gold Roger had a son?"

The commander's half-lidded eyes widened slightly, eyebrows rising high. He didn't at all expect the question. He didn't know why Ace made this sudden topic change, but he didn't need Observation haki to tell his next answer needed to be carefully thought out.

"If Gold Roger had a son? I suppose that would depend on the son in question - yoi. Gold Roger may have been Pops' rival, but our crews got along fairly well outside of the occasional fight. As Pops would say, we are all children of the sea. In the end, it depends on what kind of person the kid turned out to be – yoi." Ace chewed on this for a moment, his brow crinkled in deep thought.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why does everyone call Whitebeard father? I can understand Luffy and Kit's motives, even I do it without thinking, but why?" Tears began to stream silently down.

Kitsune silently stood up and put a comforting arm around the younger (and grudgingly taller) boy. The first commander waited a moment before kneeling down to look the ten-year-old in the eye.

"We call him father because he calls us his sons. To the world, we are outcasts, monsters. It may be only a word, but it makes us happy." Marco treated the two gaping boys with a rare, genuine smile. "It makes us happy."

Ace blinked away the new tears threatening to form. "And if I was…"

"Don't worry about it - yoi." The first commander stood up. "Who your father is, it doesn't matter. You can tell us when you're ready. Remember, if you have any problems, the old man's door is always open and so it mine - yoi. I'll talk Thatch out of having anything big. I think I saw Sabo and Luffy talking to him anyways."

"Hey Ace," softly interjected Kitsune. "Why don't we let Thatch throw you a party, a small one at least? It can be whenever you want rather than on your birthday." Ace nodded slowly.

"Okay."

* * *

The fourth commander felt a bit confused about why Ace didn't like his birthday but seeing how happy the kid was for the new arrangements made the chef smile.

They have decided to host a small party with the boys, Pops, and several of the commanders. The boy looked absolutely surprised when the chef presented his chocolate birthday cake. The boys had never had chocolate, aside from hot chocolate, before. Ace failed to suppress the awed look at his first bite.

The large, oversize cake quickly vanished.

No chance of leftovers with three D's and Sabo.

Luckily, Thatch set aside the commanders and Pops' portions, adding a bit of alcohol mixed into them.

Luffy tried to make a grab for them at one point, but Kit pushed him into his serving of cake.

Nothing escaped the fox's keen sense of smell, alcohol included.

Luffy pouted but then licked up the cake smeared onto his face. Alarmed, the Zoan then shoved Luffy away from the rest of his cake not smushed into a rubbery face.

Thatch laughed at the antics of his youngest brothers. Apparently, Luffy's tongue could stretch as well as his body. Kit just looked horrified at his brother's level of disgustingness.

Out of the four, Kit probably had the best manners – in physically eating at least. He didn't shove food into his mouth, just ate large quantities at a steady pace.

All in all, the party was fun, and Ace looked happy.


	15. Chapter XIV: Tested by Steel and Blood

Chapter XIV: Tested by Steel and Blood

A/N:

Kind of a short chapter, but I'm not exactly sure about writing battle scenes. Next chapter will be better, though, I promise. This basically sets up the upcoming chapters. We're heading into the very heavy angst-filled chapters now that we've reached this part into the brothers' maturity and growth.

Warning: a time skip will be coming. I like to think of this chapter as the transition into the story arc where the boys will truly grow, a glimmer of the men they'll be glimpsed in the coming chapters.

Thanks to all supporters – casual, active, and in-between! Vote, follow, review, or simply enjoy the story!

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

* * *

 _Moby Dick_

"Enemy ships!"

The boys stood nervously around the captain.

There has been skirmishes on and off for the past couple of months, and the boys managed to hold their own while the commanders fought off the enemy.

But this enemy was different. Those others were weak, rookies not worth the upper divisions' time, small time crews with a lot of luck and boasts.

These pirates presented more of a problem. There was three ships heading towards them. According to the twelfth division, a prominent alliance of three moderate pirate crews had challenged the old man. One of the rival captains had a devil fruit power. They had already made a mess of one of Whitebeard's islands, burning down the villages on it. The villagers escaped, but the old man could not let this stand.

The "arrogant little brats" would not be shown mercy.

Beside Kitsune, Ace had unconsciously tightened his grip on his pipe when the ships came into view. Sabo's face showed blank. Luffy was eerily quiet.

Their family would probably lose people today. The old man had argued with Marco on what to do with the boys. The first division commander had insisted that the youngest brothers stay put in their cabin during the worst of the battle.

The old man said they needed to learn one of these days and better now than if one of the other emperors like Kaido got into another pissing match with them.

The boys had trained for months. They held their own well when fighting the inhabitants of Rocke Island _before_ they're crazy training regime these past few months.

Marco and the captain finally compromised: the boys will be allowed to fight on the condition that one of the commanders would keep a close watch on them.

So, the KASL brothers had to stick close to Namur during the battle. The _Moby Dick_ came into the range of the enemy. Cannons fired and men and women bearing weapons surged from the ships around them.

The battle had begun.

*Cries. Screams. The clang of metal. The sharp tang of gunpowder in the air*

Sabo barely intercepted a sword slicing toward his head. Kit came in from behind his opponent, steel knives flashing. Blood spilled.

The wily fox held a grim countenance as he hamstrung another enemy combatant. He had donned the guise of the _ninko_ for its superior agility despite its inherently low stamina and weaker defenses only slightly better than the yellow _zenko_.

Behind the top hatter, Ace executed a quick flick and twist of his pipe Vista once demonstrated to the boys, disarming another swordsman and allowing one of their pirate brothers to cut him down. Blood streaked Ace's face and hair.

The battle had gone on for about twenty minutes. It felt like hours to him.

 _*Clang_!*

Another swordsman darted for the four brothers, thinking them easy prey. Sabo's arms ached from the repeated blocks and swings of the pipe. A streak of colorful fire flared in the enemy's face, stunning him long enough for Luffy to knock him unconscious with a Gum-Gum Pistol.

In the air above, a blue phoenix shrieked defiance as it swooped in to aid struggling members. Pops already had dealt with one captain, but the other captains refused to retreat. They only rallied the fallen captain's troops into a total frenzy. Not five feet from the four, a cannon ball smashed into the deck, taking out another two pirates from play. From afar, they could hear the jibes of the fourth commanders as he confronted the first mate of one of the enemy crews.

 _*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*_

Sabo could barely block the sword that flashed toward his head. The swordsman seemed to…split into two?

What the hell was going on now?!

* * *

 _Damn it all!_ All around, Whitebeard pirates flailed for a moment, trying to reorient themselves.

Kitsune managed to hold off the insistent buzzing in his mental ears only by the grace he constantly blocked off the buzzing of hundreds of voices on a daily basis. Even then, his movement slowed enough for his current opponent to nick his dagger into the hybrid's side.

He loosed a hiss of pain before quickening his pace even faster, dancing around the blond swordsman until one of his knives scored a hit along the lower abdomen. The man fell, blood loss from a dozen shallow and deep cuts finally hitting him.

The Zoan took a moment of respite to take a deep breath. Then he grappled every bit of energy he had to transform rapidly from human-fox, to human, to the one form he saved only for truly dire situations. Fire like his own quicksilver and blue eyes flared even as white-gold smoke wrapped around him.

A _kitsune_ larger than any the Whitebeard pirates had seen before towered on the deck. Kitsune's final form, the nine-tailed _tenko_ stood taller Stefan and the humans of typical height. Nine splendid tails spread behind it, gold-streaked white tipped in the same color as his fire, a clear match for the human eyes present in all of the mythical Zoan's forms.

For a moment, all went still. The _tenko kitsune_ pulled back his head and howled, voice oddly bell-like in contrast to the fox's intimidating appearance.

The pure tone cleared the minds of Kitsune's pirate and sworn brothers who threw themselves back into battle with renewed vigor and determination.

The giant _kitsune_ dipped his head and smiled.

Kitsune rarely used this form for more than one reason. Despite his large stature, the _tenko_ had almost no direct combat skills. Instead, he could support his fellow combatants, heal the gravest of ills, lend his strength to others, and temporarily dispel spells of madness or confusion of the mind.

 _Time's up_. And there was one other rather pointed weakness: Kitsune transformed immediately into his human form, spending only two minutes max in his nine-tail shape. His body shook with sudden fatigue before he fell to his hands and knees from exhaustion, thoughts jumbling and vision fading.

"KIT!"

A man with a brown and intricately woven cape – the enemy devil fruit-using captain probably – lunged at the unguarded boy.

Sabo and Ace slashed their pipes as a unit, barely intercepting the incoming blade (Marco would be happy to know he knock into those two's head about teamwork and strategy over impulse and individual attacks).

Across the deck, Luffy knocked over several of the enemy while Namur engaged a ring of pirates. Luffy noticed his brother's trouble and ran over, unheeding of the danger.

"LUFFY, NO!"

Kitsune's hypersensitive hearing (spurred to greater depths with his fading vision and conscious) heard every nuance of a shot going off. Luffy yelped in pain and fell forward, wind knocked from him.

Namur viciously struck out at his surrounding enemies in an awesome display of fishman karate as he hurried over to the rubber boy's side.

However, the enemy were not ignorant, and they converged, blocking the path.

 _Anchor…no…no…_ Ace and Sabo managed to stun the captain and then hurled themselves over to their downed little brother. Several of the enemy pirates and their recovered captain converged on the unguarded boys spread in three places.

Kitsune felt a consuming anger start to spike mixed with bitter desperation. He screeched out all his fear, worry, and anger. A wave of pressure built in his breast.

"LUFFY!"

He felt unbelievable exhaustion sweep over him as the pressure exploded from him. Black spots dotted his vision.

Kitsune could not resist the siren call of sleep.

All went dark.

* * *

 _Luffy, please be alright,_ desperately thought Ace. He and Sabo parried and blocked blow after blow. The downing of their little brother was like blood in the air, predators gathering in for the kill.

Namur was still too far off.

Suddenly Ace felt this wave of power. "Luffy!" His vision swarmed for a moment.

* _Thwack. Thud*_

Every pirate and the remaining captain fell over, some with their mouths foaming. In the distance, he could hear even more people falling over. Many of their pirate brothers suddenly collapsed.

"Ace? Ugh…"

"Luffy? Luffy!" Sabo knelt down to lift up his brother. Ace ran his hands over to find any holes or heavy bleeding. Luffy sported various shallow cuts and slices, but Ace could only find a hole in his shirt.

"Is he okay?" asked Namur. The boys had really grown on fishman, even the most annoyingly cheerful of them. He ran a worried eye over all the blood welling from the three's shallow wounds.

"It must have ricocheted off of him because he's rubber," mumbled Sabo. "I think the impact just winded him. Wait, where's Kit?" The three brothers ran over to their unconscious elder, heedless of the blood dripping from their own battle wounds.

"What happened – yoi?" The blue phoenix settled next to the brothers. "We were just fighting when this wave of Conqueror's haki knocked out every single enemy pirate, one of the captains, and a lot our own brothers. Namur?"

The fishman turned from his crouch by Kit to answer Marco. "Several pirates had me surrounded. The devil fruit-using captain sent some sort of mental interference to confuse everyone on this side of the ship. Then Kit there transformed into this huge white-and-gold fox and somehow countered his powers. The kid collapsed right afterwards. The devil fruit user tried to take advantage of this, but Ace and Sabo desperately fended him off

That's when Luffy tried to run over to help them. Someone shot him. I think Kit reacted to his younger brothers' danger. The Conqueror's haki came from him. It's sudden emergence coupled with probably whatever he did in his giant new form probably is what overwhelmed his exhausted mind, and he fell unconscious. Luckily, his devil fruit powers seem to heal most of his wounds. Luffy's rubber body bounced the bullet it looks like, although he might get a nasty bruise there."

Marco nodded his head in understanding. He glanced over to the boys.

"All of you head to the infirmary." Namur carried Sabo and Kit and Marco hefted Ace and Luffy into their arms.

* * *

 _After the battle_

 _Whitebeard's room_

The world's strongest man sighed. One of youngest children laid unconscious in the infirmary. The battle this day had cost him many of his children, although thankfully not as many as they predicted. Later, they would be sending their bodies off in a proper sea burial come this evening.

He lifted his sake bottle to his lips. Aah, his youngest children never failed to give this father worries. Oi, he was really too old to teach one of his brats haki, especially Conqueror's haki. He couldn't devote the proper time with his failing health.

Although it was not exactly unexpected for at least one of his brats had it. Three of them were D's with incredible spirits and will power. One of them even reminded him of Roger.

 _*Knock, knock_ *

"Pops?"

"Come in."

Marco walked quietly into his room. When the door closed, the bored expression on his face vanished. He looked exhausted, his normally half-lidded eyes heavier than usual and his brow badly crinkled. If his oldest son did not have his Flames of Rebirth, he would undoubtedly have thick bags under his eyes and more than one stress line.

Newgate patted the bedside next to him. The phoenix reluctantly climbed up to sit next to his father.

"What are we going to do? Those boys did well, but they're not ready, not for these kinds of battles. They're _children_!" Marco buried his head into his hands. "One wrong move and one of them could have died. They almost did if Kit hadn't awakened his haki."

Newgate patted his eldest son's back, wrapping him into a comforting embrace.

"They need time, son. Your brothers have the potential. We needed to know if they're ready to handle the New World. Obviously, they need more personal training than what we can give them. As my commanders, you have many duties. And the other members will be surpassed by the boys too soon. If only we can find someone to give them some proper training…" Newgate brought a hand to his face and stroked his mustache in thought. "Hmm. Who else do we know that can train all four boys in haki, including Conqueror's, and has some time on his hand?"

Marco jerked his head up. "Conqueror's? Red Hair is one, but he's also another emperor. Wait, you don't mean...?"

" _Gurararara_! Well, who else can train the boys and is trustworthy. He already considers them as much his family as young Kit. Why not give him a ring and ask? I believe we have his personal transponder snail frequency from when we last stopped by Sabaody."


	16. Chapter XV: Heart, Body, Spirit

Chapter XV: Heart, Body, Spirit

* * *

"Speech"

 _Thoughts or emphasis or scenery changes or significant time gaps_

ANGRY VOICE

 _*noises* (except laughter)_

*actions*

'Telepathy' (Only for the telepath's voice)

 _/ Flashback or brief summaries of events /_

[Communications through devices]

* * *

 _Moby Dick_

"So, do you think you can meet with us at the island?"

[Of course. I may not look like much, but I still have plenty of spirit to make the trip. To think my little nephew and his brothers had grown so much. It'll be nice to see them all]

"No problems at all with the plan?"

[Bah. It's not like an old retired man like me has much to do nowadays. The Great Pirate Era is a young man's time to seize all that the world has to offer. Who am I to deny the next generation?]

" _Gurararara_! Still have that cheekiness, like that Roger brat. We'll meet in two weeks' time."

[Two weeks at Moirai]

* * *

 _Two weeks_

 _Moirai Island_

 _/ "Luffy!" So much pressure building in my chest. Luffy, little and weaker than the rest of them, downed by a shot. Ace and Sabo about to be overwhelm…Can't move…Can't protect them… No… /_

"No!"

The sudden scream from the oldest D startled Luffy who had cuddled with his older brother sometime during the night.

"Kit?"

"Go back to bed, Luffy. I'm alright," Kitsune reassure him on reflex, voice raspy.

"No! You keep getting nightmares. You fell asleep while you were walking along the railings! You almost drowned!"

"Don't worry so much, _Anchor_. Namur rescued me, did he not? Besides, the Whitebeard Pirates have plenty of other people who fetch devil fruit users all the time, especially you."

"Yeah…but-"

"Why are you guys awake?" grumbled a sleepy Sabo. Ace mumbled a bit before his eyes snapped open. "It's not even dawn, yet."

"Kit had a nightmare."

"Luffy! It's not that big of a deal. Just a bit of a night scare. We should all get some more sleep."

"Not really much of a point. I overheard the navigators report that we'll reach the island about an hour before dawn." Sabo rubbed his eyes.

Kit groaned, before flopping back in the bed. He had woken everyone up again. _They're just some stupid memories. Nothing happened to us. My brothers lived through our first real battle,_ chanted Kit in his mind.

Weeks had passed since then. Kitsune's haki kept knocking people over randomly throughout the day. It was nowhere near the devastating effect as the first time he released it, but at least half a dozen pirates fell over each day from small random waves of haki. Marco, Thatch, his brothers, Pops - they all reassured him, telling him that it was not his fault, he just needed some proper training.

Pops instructed him to relax, that his riled emotions kept triggering the use of his haki. Everyone tried to help but to no avail. The main trouble the Zoan had was not keeping his emotions in check while aware; it was when he was _unaware._ The D's sleep attacks, especially during the day, held most of the blame for the Whitebeard Pirates suddenly falling over. And they had gotten worse, not better, as time moved forward, with or without Kitsune.

He lifted his head slightly, only to slam it against his pillow. Resigned, he got up to change along with his brothers. Once they all were ready, the boys decided to head off early for breakfast.

* * *

 _The Galley_

 _This can't go on forever,_ thought Sabo. Kit had fallen asleep in his eggs. He sighed, readjusted his top hat, and gave the elder a harsh shake when Kitsune's body began to tremble.

Alarmed by the abrupt wake-up call, Kitsune abruptly sat up, spilling eggs on Sabo. Sabo gave a look of disgust, annoyed at the food pelleting his face. He took the handkerchief hanging from his coat pocket to wipe his face off. He then handed it over to the sheepish black-blond-haired teen.

A table over, one of first division members slumped into unconsciousness. The audible thump had Kitsune turning around in his sea and offering his apologies…once the man woke back up.

"Another one? Don't worry Kit, the men are used to it - yoi. They don't blame you in the slightest," gently reminded Marco.

The phoenix had lingered near Kit more often these days out of concern for the listless brother. Kit spent an inordinate amount of time by himself these days. That must have worried the commanders, especially ones like Marco, Thatch, and Haruta – those on whom Kit had made quite an impression.

"We'll be docking shortly - yoi. The island is devoid of human life. Its proximity to the Calm Belt had discouraged any sort of human settlements."

"Yeah, most people value their lives a bit too much for them to handle those monsters. They make delicious steaks, though," remarked Thatch. The fourth division commander must have just finished overseeing the breakfast preparations, since most of the time the boys would arrive for breakfast and find him sitting at the table already. "Sabo, did Namur tell you anything about the island? Sabo?"

Sabo jumped a little in his seat. Marco's revelation of the island's identity had spurred one of the top hat wearer's "thinking moods".

The ship had not stopped at any island for the past two weeks. No one would tell the boys where exactly they were going. Even Namur had avoided Sabo for the past week. But Moirai, that name did ring a few bells.

"Moirai? Namur told me about it a long time ago. I was telling him about Dawn Island's monstrous animals, and it came up. The island's beasts reputably make something like the Tiger Lord look like a house cat. A dangerous place, but no wonder. Sea king nests dot much of the seas surrounding the island. The island got its name from an old legend. "Moirai" is another name for the fates. The stories say that people of great destinies eventually wander onto the island to test their worth as 'world shakers of the next generation'. Whether or not this is so, the island does not seem like a place to underestimate."

"So, it's a mystery island! _Shishishishi_!"

"Well, we did manage to beat the Tiger Lord before. This island will prove to be a great place to measure up our skills against its beasts, just like back then," said Ace. He perked up a lot, a familiar eager look on his face at the mention of "monstrous animals". Sabo should have known better. Ace and Luffy loved to duke it out with strong opponents, the more reckless and dangerous the challenge, the more their eyes gleamed with anticipation. Even Kit had relented from his depressive state, his eyes lighting at the mention of even larger beasts than the Tiger Lord to fight.

"Whoa, whoa kiddos. Before any of you run amok on the island, we have to meet someone first." Thatch held his hands in surrender at the glare Ace sent him. Ace did not like any reference to being childlike. Even if they were no more than children.

"I thought you said the island was voided of humans," whined Luffy.

" _De_ – voided of human life, Luffy," corrected Sabo. Sabo tilted his head at Thatch. "Who are we meeting?"

"You'll see - yoi," said the phoenix with a small smile.

* * *

 _Landing_

Just walking to the island shores was an adventure. The seas surrounding the island had an odd mix of deep and shallow water channels. A person, even a devil fruit user, could walk along some parts one moment, then risk drowning at the sudden drop of the sea floor to a few _hundred_ meters below sea level. Outside the final shallow ring of water were several sea king nests deep below in the ocean depths. Since the Whitebeard Pirates had visited the island before, they knew to cast anchor where the sea king nests were farthest away.

Because of the shallow sections, Marco and Thatch led the boys with a specially-designed canoe floating behind them for the deeper parts.

Luffy, Sabo, Kitsune, even Ace were impressed and awed by the sights along their walk to the island. Each section had its own unique inhabitants: crabs twice the size of Jozu crawling around the bottom of a sea trench (one nearly carried Luffy away, Thatch managed to wrangle it back to the surface for Kit to toast), a rainbow of itty bitty jelly fish floating along the shallow sands, giant clams nestled on some coral reefs (Luffy thought they were some sort of boulder until one opened up underneath him).

After a half an hour walk/swim/row, the group arrived to the island. A familiar old geezer sat on shore with a sea king roasting on the beach.

"Uncle Ray!" shouted Kitsune, perking up immediately.

Even half-drenched from the various fights, the fox Zoan had plenty of energy to run the last stretch when he caught sight of the Dark King. His brothers stood stunned at the present of their unexpected guest. A moment later, they ran to catch up to Kitsune.

The commanders chuckled behind them.

The silver-haired man smiled at his young nephew that dashed over to him. He swung one of his arms down to hug Kit.

"How's are you, Kit? Taking good care of your brothers? I've heard some interesting things about your adventures since Sabaody." Kit's wide grin twitched. He really tried to keep his smile up, but nothing got past the old pirate. Kit abandoned his attempt, a downtrodden expression taking the place of the false smile.

"Uncle Ray … I-I-I don't know…" Tears stung the corner of Kit's eyes. Seeing their brother's rare show of confusion and weakness, the ASL brothers quickly appeared by his side, silently giving him their support. Kit sniffed once, angrily scrubbing at his face.

"I almost failed them," he muttered, downcast. "My brothers could've died because I was not strong enough … I managed to activate my Conqueror's haki, but I can't control it. I'm lucky that it's fairly weak and mostly triggered by my nightmares but…" Kit's lip trembled.

"Sol D. Silvers Kitsune. You're only 12. You don't have to shoulder everything."

"The old man's right. I should have been stronger. Luffy would never had gotten hurt if I had…"

"Don't you start, Ace. We all need to get stronger," admonished Sabo.

"Sabo's right, Ace, Kit! We're really strong, but those guys were strong, too!" piped in Luffy. The older brothers blanch. Luffy actually made sense. Something in Luffy's eyes was different as he spoke. It was one of those rare times that one could see a glimmer of the pirate he may one day become.

"Sabo and Luffy, you two are both right. Which brings us back to why I am here. Newgate thought it might be beneficial for the four of you to take a year or so to train," explained Rayleigh.

"A YEAR?!" yelped Luffy. Ace and Sabo finally broke free of their trance to knock simultaneously on their baby brother's head.

"Don't parrot him!"

Kit just shook his head in bewilderment. "Why?"

"Newgate, Marco, and I discussed the issue of your training. You boys really need some more one-on-one training that the commanders and he cannot devote to the four of you. They cannot assign ordinary division members, since you four will soon surpass them in a matter of months. Everyone who does have the high enough level of expertise has duties and responsibilities that will not do justice to the amount of learning you need.

Since I am retired and proficient user of the three forms of haki, I have agreed to stay on this island to train the four of you. I can give you all the basics and a bit more regarding haki. From there, the four of you shall gain the experience to continue your training in the New World." The Dark King's face grew grim. "On this island, you must listen and obey my instructions. The inhabitants of this place do not show mercy to fools or weaklings. Do any of you object to this course of action?"

The boys stood still in considering silence. Ace's face gave away none of his thoughts. Sabo looked off to the distance. Luffy didn't seem to understand, if his wide grin meant anything. Kitsune tensed for a moment, his eyes somewhat red from his earlier breakdown. He took a deep breath.

"I will train with you Uncle. I need to learn control. If I had full control of haki, if I could get stronger, then I will accept any conditions you set forth as our sensei," the eldest D solemnly swore.

"So, do I," Ace agreed immediately after. Sabo and Luffy nodded their approval of their family's choice to send them off for training.

"Ahh, one other thing. Some of the other commanders will stop by randomly to assess your current skill levels every so often. They've all agreed that to push you boys pass your limits, they will not go as easy as before," warned Marco as he came up behind the children.

"That's alright with me. To get stronger, I will take them all on!" Ace's eyes glowed with determination.

"I will protect them all. I will not risk coming so close to losing everything, not again." Kitsune's voice had a harsh catch but a steely glint to his eyes contradicted it.

"I will become strong enough to be the pirate king!" announced Luffy, who had pouted afterward when his brothers and Rayleigh chuckled.

"I will get strong enough, so that my brothers and I can make our own futures." The pipe in Sabo's hand thrusted into the sand to emphasize his words.

"Well then, brats, let's get started with the lessons." Thatch and Marco stepped in. "We'll be your first set of co-instructors.

* * *

Rayleigh asked the group to follow him into the jungle. The trees soared high into the skies, their branches thicker than a man. All around, the boys could hear the shrieks of animals, the roar of predators, and the crackle of branches overhead.

"First things first. You guys need a better understanding of what haki is," began Rayleigh. "Haki is the hidden power that all living creatures share. It is not so different from the normal senses of a human. One need only gain the training to trigger it. Most people will live their lives without ever awakening this power. It comes in three forms. Two of them are common to all living things. One is the power of observation."

While Rayleigh looked to the boys, explaining haki, a huge serpent slowly unwrapped itself from its tree. Marco strode right next to it. It struck. But the blow never landed. The first commander merely stepped to the side moments before the snake initiated its attack.

"That is the power of Observation; to sense the presence, the spirit, of others. The people of Skypiea, a land in the skies, call it Mantra; one can sense not only the presence of other, but a strong user may anticipate their intentions and counter.

The snake warily watched Marco. Its tail lashed out from the tree behind him, but the first commander had already leapt into the air and swung his leg to deliver a devastating kick. The snake hissed in agony. Its body unraveled entirely before slithering deeper into the jungle.

"The other is Armament haki; this gives the wielder the ability to manipulate the energy around him to create a force that serves as invisible armor."

The only warning the fourth division commander had was the sudden rustle of bushes. A heavily armored and insanely large staghorn beetle the size of a small boat flew straight for him. Thatch brought up his hand. The momentum of the beetle's attack came to a halt when it crashed against his hand.

"One can use it for both defense, to strengthen the body to a number of attacks depending on one's personal strength; one may also use it offensively. Armament haki lends strength not only to one's physical body, but a well-trained user may extend it to their weapons and lend it greater power!"

Thatch pushed the beetle back several meters before unsheathing his dual swords. A black coating covered them. He swung, cracking the beetle's dense armored skeleton.

"Even the intangible bodies of Logia can be touched by a competent user of Armament haki," explained Rayleigh.

"Logia?" inquired Sabo.

Kitsune turned to his confused brothers to explain. "Allow me, Uncle Ray. Devil fruit powers usually fall in one of three categories: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. The first group of devil fruits are the most common type; Luffy's Gum-Gum powers are Paramecia-based. It's an all-inclusive group where users experience a change in their bodies' structure, make-up, or properties, or they may instead be able to change or affect their surroundings instead. Anything not Zoan or Logia falls into Paramecia, basically."

Kitsune turned to Luffy and grinned sheepishly. "To be honest, the powers of Paramecia are so varied and strange that, well, most people would consider someone like Luffy really weak at the start since he needs to train to use his power efficiently, unlike the other types of users. But, Pops is also a Paramecia and he's the strongest man in the world!"

"That's right, kid," Thatch nodded amiably. "You also have guys like Jozu, most of the current Warlords, and plenty of marines who are strong regardless of their "weak" fruit class."

Kitsune continued his lecture. "Zoans are users that shapeshift into animals, such as Marco changing into a _phoenix_ and myself transforming into a _kitsune_. However, Marco and I's fruits are exceptional among our own group since they are not natural animals but legendary ones. Thus, the subgroup Mythical Zoan. Our fruits are considered on par in rarity and strength to Logias since they give us extra abilities like the Flames of Rebirth or foxfire. Another subgroup of Zoans are Ancient Zoans. Like the name suggest, this is another rare group of Zoans capable of changing into extinct animals. They're pretty powerful, too, since most extinct animals are bigger and more vicious than their modern counterparts. Grandfather mentioned meeting one a little while back, actually, some sort of dinosaur-based user he met at Marine Headquarters. Generally, all Zoans receive some boost in their physical strength, speed, and recovery.

The last group is considered the most powerful coveted of fruit users. Logias can transform themselves into their elements. Some can become lightning, sand, ice, and so forth. They're really powerful because of how innately destructive their elemental powers are, plus the ability to become their element allows them to avoid damage. To strike one takes either an exploitation of their elemental weakness, sheer luck, or apparently haki. And it's the intangibility aspect that separates a Logia from a material-based Paramecia. Some can fake it, but in the end their transformations are intrinsically solid and bound within certain body limits."

Ace and Sabo listened intently to their eldest brother's explanation, Luffy did not. Kitsune mentally made a note to ask Sabo to translate the info for Luffy later since the latter. Said little brother had focused almost entirely on the giant stunned staghorn beetle still laying on its side.

"Very good, Kit. You did pay attention to my lessons. Surprised you remember, since I explained this to you when you were seven," complimented Rayleigh. "Armament haki uses energy to touch the substantial body beneath the insubstantial body of the user. This allows one to grapple and strike a Logia without sea prism stone or the knowledge and tools to counter their abilities.

Now, the third type cannot be taught. One either has it or not: Conqueror's haki. This type allows a person to intimidate an opponent with sheer will power. One basically forces the other to acknowledge the difference in sheer fortitude, and the resulting clash of wills can quickly overwhelm if the gap is large enough. I can teach Kitsune control, so he'll quit knocking out allies and innocents alike, but the strength of his haki will depend not on training but purely the depth of one's will. How Kit will grow as a man."

The Dark King faced forward abruptly as a huge leopard lunged. Kit, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy could feel the sheer overwhelming force coming from Rayleigh. The cat stopped mid-swipe. Its eyes widen as big as plates. It crouched down in submission.

"On wild beasts, I can make them submit to my will, essentially taming them, instead of outright knocking them out. This is due to my superior control over my haki, and what I want Kit to master himself. Luckily, untrained Conqueror's haki isn't too dangerous among fairly strong-willed people since it lacks focus. Furthermore, certain types of training can help supplement the control necessary to reign in this power."

"That's why Kit doesn't knock out whole swathes of division members, like during the battle weeks ago; he only unconsciously released a small portion of his will. He already has practice controlling his emotions due to the unique needs of his devil fruit; this translate into a partial control on his Conqueror's haki," Marco elaborated further.

"Correct, commander. Boys, before we can properly train you, we need to awaken your haki. Only when the body is pressed to a certain point does haki normally activate; Kit's emotional and physical upset triggered his Conqueror's haki early. This will be somewhat similar. Put on these blindfolds on, boys. Time to begin."

The grins on the commanders and Rayleigh made the boys squirm. _Oi, what kind of craziness did we agree to?_ Thought the KASL brothers.

* * *

 _/ To awaken the boys' innate abilities, the commanders stayed for a few weeks, taking turns alongside Rayleigh to attack the boys with and without warning._

 _At the end of the month, each boy had achieved the awakening of their Observation haki, the news well received as the four bruised, battered boys exchanged friendly punches of congratulations with not an unnoticed wince._

 _The crew celebrated with one last party before the Moby Dick departed to see to Whitebeard's territories._

 _When it next returned, the boys would be finished with their training. Commanders dropped by over the coming months on other ships, testing their young brothers' aptitude and skills. /_


End file.
